ICMR’s new guidelines says no testing needed for contacts of COVID-19 patients and domestic travelers

The Indian Council of Medical Research said in its latest guidelines that unless at high-risk, contacts of persons infected with COVID-19 are not required to be tested. It further added that individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel are also not required to be tested.

The guidelines also highlighted that a positive result through rapid antigen test or home or self-test should be considered as confirmed positive, and the person is not required to repeat the test for confirmation. However, symptomatic individuals, testing negative through such tests should undertake RT-PCR test to confirm the diagnosis.

Here’s a list of people who may be tested:

· Symptomatic (cough, fever, sore throat, loss of taste and/or smell, breathlessness and/or other respiratory symptoms) individuals.

· At-risk contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases. At-risk contacts are elderly and individuals with comorbidity such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic lung or kidney disease, malignancy, obesity etc.

· Individuals undertaking international travel (as per country-specific requirements).

· International travellers arriving at Indian airports/seaports/ports of entries as per laid down guidelines.

Below are the people who need not to be tested:

· Asymptomatic individuals in community settings.

· Contacts of confirmed cases of COVID-19 unless identified as high risk based on age or chronicity.

· 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.

The guidelines stated, “No emergency procedure (including surgeries and deliveries) should be delayed for lack of a test; patients should not be referred to other facilities for lack of a testing facility; all arrangements should be made to collect and transfer samples to testing facilities, mapped to the health facility…”

The revised guidelines has been issued for early identification of symptomatic Covid-19 cases for quick isolation and care, while identifying infection in the elderly (60 years and above) and people with co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic lung or kidney disease, malignancy, obesity etc., for quick care.