- The Union Health Ministry has asked all states and union territories to ramp up strategic COVID-19 testing.
- According to ICMR data, the number of testing has declined in several states and union territories.
- According to the new circular issued by the Ministry, asymptomatic patients of COVID-19 and all at-risk contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases should also be tested.
As India is battling with rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the union health ministry issued a new circular asking all the states and union territories to ramp up COVID-19 testing in a strategic and focused manner.
According to
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) data, the number of testing has declined in several states and union territories.
Arti Ahuja, additional secretary of the Union Health Ministry, said, “In order to ensure that an effective track of the speed of the pandemic is kept and also immediate citizen-centric action is initiated, it is incumbent upon all states and union territories to enhance testing.”
According to the circular, those who are asymptomatic and all-at risk contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases should also be tested. Whereas, ICMR, earlier seven days back, issued
new guidelines in which it suggested that asymptomatic patients need not to be tested.
Commenting on the ICMR’s guideline, Ahuja said, “I would like to reiterate the advisory on purposive testing issued by
ICMR on 10th January 2022.”
She further added, “All advisories on testing issued by ICMR including the latest advisory, the basic objective remains the same — early detection of cases for quick isolation and care.”
In addition, testing remains a key management on the following two counts — Identification of new clusters and new hotspots to curb the spread of the infection and ensuring reduction in mortality and morbidity.
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