Contacts Of COVID Patients Need Not Test Unless Identified As High Risk: ICMR

In a fresh advisory for testing COVID samples, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said that contacts of COVID patients do not need to undergo testing unless identified as high risk based on age or comorbidities.

The apex body on Sunday released a set of new advisory on purposive testing strategies for COVID19 in the country. The advisory on testing strategy is for early detection of symptomatic cases for quick isolation and care of elderly and individuals with comorbidities. 

As per the advisory, individuals with symptoms including cough, fever, sore throat, loss of taste/smell, breathlessness or other respiratory symptoms are required to undergo testing. Apart from that, the at-risk contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases need to get tested. Individuals, who have plans of international travel or international travellers arriving at the airports across the country also need to undergo testing.

The advisory also stated that asymptomatic individuals in community settings and contacts of confirmed cases of Covid-19 need not undergo testing unless the patient is identified as high risk based on age and comorbidities. 

Patients discharged as per home isolation guidelines and COVID-19 facilities as per revised discharge policy don't need to get tested. Individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel are not required to undergo testing.

Stressing on the mode of testing, the advisory stated that testing can be undertaken through RT-PCR, TrueNat, CBNAAT, CRISPR, RT-LAMP, Rapid Molecular Testing Systems or Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).

Advisory on Purposive Testing Strategy for COVID-19 in India (Version VII, dated 10th January 2022) @MoHFW_INDIA @DeptHealthRes @PIB_India @mygovindia @COVIDNewsByMIB #ICMRFIGHTSCOVID19 #IndiaFightsCOVID19 #CoronaUpdatesInIndia #COVID19 #Unite2FightCorona pic.twitter.com/0bFN4R5gZ4

— ICMR (@ICMRDELHI) January 10, 2022