ICMR develops testing strategy for COVID-19 patients

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has developed a coronavirus testing strategy for patients infected with the virus.

The apex medical research institute has explained whom to test against the COVID-19 and how it should be done. The selection of patients is being made on the basis of their symptoms, travel history and direct contact with the infected person.

"If a person comes in a direct close physical contact of laboratory-confirmed positive cases and has a history of travel in last 14 days to high-risk COVID-19 affected countries, they should be home quarantined for 14 days," ICMR stated.

"During home quarantine, a person is observed whether he or she is symptomatic or asymptomatic within 14 days. If a person shows symptoms, then the patient's sample is sent to laboratory test or else one can contact to the union health ministry helpline for testing. If a person does not show any symptoms, no laboratory test is required. A person is asked to follow good standard hygiene," it said.

The samples are then sent to AIIMS, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and National Institute of Virology (NIV) for testing. So far, the government has built up over 50 centres for testing samples.

Speaking to ANI, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said, "By following basic hand hygiene and cleaning hands with soap or sanitisers, one can keep infection away. One should also avoid going to crowded places."

So far, India has detected 84 positive confirmed cases of COVID-19 and it has killed two people.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it as a pandemic. Globally, at least 1,45,374 confirmed cases have been reported and more than 5,400 people have lost their lives due to the disease.