The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in an update in guidelines for testing of COVID-19, said all symptomatic influenza-like illnesses among returnees and migrants within seven days should be tested for the virus.
All hospitalised patients who develop ILI symptoms should also be tested, apart from asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case, which shall be tested between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact.
Apart from healthcare workers, all frontline workers "involved in containment and mitigation of COVID-19" should also be tested, the ICMR has said.
Apart from these, ICMR has also said no emergency procedure, including deliveries, should be delayed for lack of testing. A sample can, however, be sent for testing if the patient develops any of the symptoms. All hospitalised patients who develop influenza-like symptoms shall also be tested for the virus, according to the guidelines.
An ILI case is defined as one with acute respiratory infection with fever more than 38◦C and cough while a Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) is defined as one that has all those symptoms and requires hospitalisation.
"All testing in the above categories is recommended by real time RT-PCR test only," ICMR has said.
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