Delhi govt issues new guidelines for COVID-19 testing, only symptomatic patients to be tested

Delhi government on Thursday issued new guidelines for testing COVID-19 patients. There has been a significant change in the testing guidelines as now only patients showing COVID-19  symptoms will be tested.

Earlier, family members living in the same house or doctors and health care workers exposed to a Covid-19 patient were tested even if they were asymptomatic. However, now only those asymptomatic patients who are high-risk contacts (diabetic, hypertension, cancer patient, and senior citizen) of a confirmed case will be tested.    

Many labs in Delhi have not conducted a single test in the last 24 hours.

Here is the full revised strategy for COVID-19 testing:

1. All symptomatic (ILI symptoms-one with acute respiratory infection with fever >38C AND cough.) individuals with history of international travel in the last 14 days. 

2. All symptomatic (ILI symptoms) contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases. 

3. All symptomatic (ILI symptoms) healthcare workers/frontline workers involved in containment and mitigation of COVID 19.
 
4. All patients of Severe Acute Respiratory infection (SARI).
 
5. 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.
 
6. All symptomatic ILI within hotspots/containment zones.
 
7. All hospitalized patients who develop ILI symptoms.
 
8. All symptomatic ILI among returnees and migrants within 7 days of illness.
 
9. 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), simultaneously. 

Meanwhile, the Delhi government on Wednesday passed an order making it mandatory for all asymptomatic passengers arriving in Delhi to home quarantine themselves for seven days.

Notably, earlier, the home quarantine period for passengers arriving in Delhi, as mandated by an advisory passed by the Delhi government, was 14 days.

"All asymptomatic passengers who enter/deboard in NCT of Delhi shall home quarantine themselves for 7 days (in place of 14 days of self monitoring of health...)," stated the order.

The order specifically states that airport, railway and transport departments are required to submit passenger manifests to the office of the principal secretary of revenue department on daily basis. Then, the principal secretry (Revenue) will forward the passenger manifests to the concerned district magistrates who will make sure that the recently returned passengers in the area reamin in home quarantine for seven days.