Delhi Government Issues New Guidelines For COVID-19 Testing

New Delhi: 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 2 lakh 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 (influenza-like illness) symptoms) individuals with a 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).

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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.

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