COVID: ICMR issues new guidelines for testing; Check who should get tested & who shouldn't

Amid rising COVID-19 cases, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday issued fresh guidelines. In the fresh guidelines, the medical body has specified 'who need or need not' get tested for the infection. 

Who needs to be tested:-

• At-risk contacts of laboratory-confirmed cased
• Individuals undertaking international travel
• International travel arriving in India 

Who need not be tested:-

• Asymptomatic individuals in a community setting
• Contacts of confirmed cases of COVID-19 unless identified as high risk based on the age of comorbidities 
• Patients who stand discharged as per home isolation guidelines
• Patients being discharged from a COVID-19 facility as per revised discharge policy 
• Individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel

It is pertinent to mention here that testing can be undertaken either through rRT-PCR, True Nat, CBNAAT, CRISPR, RT-LAMP, Rapid Molecular Testing Systems or through Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). Home or Self Test/RAT and Molecular Test is to be considered confirmatory, without any repeat testing. Symptomatic individuals, testing negative on Home/Self-test or RAT should undertake rRT-PCR test, as per the new guidelines of ICMR. 

On January 9, the number of samples tested was 13,52,717. The cumulative samples tested stand at 69,15,75,352. 

Administration of 'precautionary' dose begins amid COVID surge

Meanwhile, India is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases. India in the last 24 hours logged a single-day surge of  1,79,723 new COVID cases, With a 12.6% higher rate of infections than Sunday, the total caseload has jumped to 3,57,07,727. Meanwhile, India's total active caseload stands at 7,23,619. The active cases comprise 2.03 % of the total infections. The daily positivity rate is 13.29 %.

Notably, a high positivity rate is considered one of the first signs of an impending wave of infections. With daily multiplying cases, experts have already warned that India is likely to witness the third wave of infections soon.

Amid mounting COVID-19 cases, India on Sunday began administering precautionary doses of COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare and frontline workers along with those above the age of 60 with comorbidities, across the country. Those who have taken two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, be it Covaxin or Covishield and have completed nine months, can directly take an appointment or walk in to any vaccination centre.