Rapid tests soon for all with flu symptoms
■ Health ministry clarifies Covid-19 is not airborne ■ Maharashtra records 55 new cases; 58 fresh cases in Delhi ■ Doubling of cases in 4.1 days; elderly set to be ‘ring-fenced’
Facing a lot of flak for under-testing coronavirus suspect cases, the Centre on Sunday said that all symptomatic influenzalike illness (ILI) persons will now be tested using the rapid antibody tests for quick detection. In case they are negative, a repeat test will be done after 10 days, and as a matter of abundant precaution, all symptomatic ILI persons should be advised home quarantine for 14 days.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said overall testing for Covid-19, using real-time RT PCR (polymerase chain reaction), was increasing and the authorities will be reaching full capacity in the near future. Hence, the rapid antibody based blood test in clusters (with containment zones), and in large migration gatherings/evacuees centres, have to start now. These rapid antibody test kits will be available by Wednesday. The rapid test can be done on blood/serum/plasma samples and the test result is available within 30 minutes. The ICMR, meanwhile, clarified that Covid-19 is not airborne. “We need to understand that in science whoever does experiments, some will have a ‘for opinion’ and some ‘against’, but we need to take a balanced, evidence-based approach. For example, if it was an airborne infection, then in a family whoever has a contact... they all should come positive because they are living in the same surroundings as the patient and the family is breathing the same air. When someone is admitted to hospital, other patients would have got exposure (if it was airborne), but that is not the case,” said Dr Raman R. Gangakhedkar, head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at ICMR.
The overall cases as per government data on Sunday reached 3,577, with 3219 active cases, 275 cured and 83 deaths. However, news agency PTI put the total number of positive cases at 3,959, with 110 deaths. Maharashtra alone reported 747 cases, of which 55 were fresh cases, while Delhi has a total 503 cases, of which 58 are new cases. The Covid-19 infection has been reported in 274 districts as of now, with Agra, Bhilwada, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Pathan Mitha, and East Delhi reporting high numbers. The health ministry said the doubling rate of Covid-19 cases in India is now 4.1 days, mainly because of the additional cases reported due to the Tablighi Jamaat event. If that hadn’t happened, the doubling rate would have been 7.4 days. The health ministry said the “proactive and ruthless containment strategy implementation”, and “preparedness, even to the extent of being overprepared”, was the focus of the authorities. The agencies are monitoring the elderly through “ring-fencing”.
Meanwhile, Air India asked passengers who travelled in four of its flights in March to follow quarantine or isolation procedures after three passengers on those flights tested positive. Two of these flights were from Goa to Mumbai, one from Mumbai to Delhi and another from Delhi to Patna.