Delhi govt issues new guidelines for Covid-19 testing amid rising cases

Amid rising cases of coronavirus in the national capital, the Delhi government has issued new guidelines for Covid-19 testing. The virus has infected over 200,000 people in the country so far.

According to the order issued by Office of Director General of Health Services (DGHS) on June 2, the strategy for Covid-19 testing includes -- all symptomatic (ILI symptoms) individuals with history of international travel in the last 14 days; all symptomatic (ILI symptoms) contacts of laboratory confirmed cases; all symptomatic (ILI symptoms) healthcare workers/frontline workers involved in containment and mitigation of Covid-19; all patients of Severe Acute Respiratory infection (SARI).

The order also included -- direct and high-risk contacts (diabetic, hypertension, cancer patient and senior citizen) of a confirmed case to be tested once between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact with a confirmed case; all symptomatic ILI within hotspots/containment zones; all hospitalized patients who develop ILI symptoms; all symptomatic ILI among returnees and migrants within 7 days of illness.

"No emergency procedure (including deliveries) should be delayed for lack of test. However, samples can be sent for testing if indicated as above (1-8) simulatenously," it said.

According to the order, ILI case is defined as "one with acute respiratory infection with fever >38C and cough". Similarly, SARI case is defined as "one with acute respiratory infection with fever >38C and cough and require hospitalization".

All testing in the above categories is recommended by real time RT-PCR test only, the order said.

According to latest information available on the website of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi has 12,333 active cases of coronavirus, 9,243 cured/migrated/discharged and 556 deaths.