<p>Every primary health centre (PHC) and community health centre (CHC) should do a minimum of five to ten RT-PCR tests per day, recommended the State Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) here on Monday.</p>.<p>It recommended that all the cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection will have to be tested (irrespective of hospitalization) and all the cases of Influenza-like Illnesses will have to be tested (through active case search or house-to-house visits) in all the districts. </p>.<p>All individuals (other than ILI and SARI) who fulfil the suspect Covid-19 case definition have to be tested (Fatigue, loss of smell, loss of taste, diarrhoea, body ache, skin rashes etc.)</p>.<p>All symptomatic contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases, all symptomatic health care workers, and asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between day 0 and day 7 of coming in his/her contact.</p>.<p>TAC strongly recommended to compulsorily test all symptomatic persons by using RAT. However, symptomatic RAT negative should be followed up by RT-PCR as per ICMR guidelines. It also recommended RAT for cases with high severity/ mortality, and all international travellers without RT-PCR result in the last 72 hours. Sentinel Surveillance is essential to identify early surge in cases and initiating containment measures, TAC observed, in its recommendations to the Government. A minimum of five to 10 RT PCR tests per day per CHC/PHC should be done.</p>.<p>All persons with symptoms in the outpatient department (OPD), all persons with any symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 and not vaccinated must be tested, and a fixed proportion (5-10 samples/per day/CHC) of all the OPD patients in hospitals to be tested.</p>.<p>The technical committee recommended random testing in congregation sites: 15 samples/per day/PHC or CHC. Collect samples from workplaces, bus stands, railway stations and the results shall be uploaded to the ICMR database.</p>.<p>Schools and colleges when open: (10 samples per week). Check posts and entry points into the State: (five samples per day) random testing must be made mandatory. In the case of strong clinical suspicion of Covid-19, the technical panel recommended that a repeat RT-PCR should be done after 24 hours in case of negative test results. If the second RT-PCR is also negative, the chest X-ray/high-resolution CT scan is recommended.</p>.<p>Five per cent of all the samples from high positivity districts (test positivity rate more than 2%) are to be sent for genomic surveillance, TAC said. It asked for sequencing of samples if cases are from super spreader events or proven cases of re-infections.</p>.<p>It also recommended sequencing of samples from clusters of cases in children, infection after vaccination (breakthrough infections) and cases from international travellers. It also recommended door-to-door testing by ASHAs in high positivity districts (with more than 5%).</p>
<p>Every primary health centre (PHC) and community health centre (CHC) should do a minimum of five to ten RT-PCR tests per day, recommended the State Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) here on Monday.</p>.<p>It recommended that all the cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection will have to be tested (irrespective of hospitalization) and all the cases of Influenza-like Illnesses will have to be tested (through active case search or house-to-house visits) in all the districts. </p>.<p>All individuals (other than ILI and SARI) who fulfil the suspect Covid-19 case definition have to be tested (Fatigue, loss of smell, loss of taste, diarrhoea, body ache, skin rashes etc.)</p>.<p>All symptomatic contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases, all symptomatic health care workers, and asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between day 0 and day 7 of coming in his/her contact.</p>.<p>TAC strongly recommended to compulsorily test all symptomatic persons by using RAT. However, symptomatic RAT negative should be followed up by RT-PCR as per ICMR guidelines. It also recommended RAT for cases with high severity/ mortality, and all international travellers without RT-PCR result in the last 72 hours. Sentinel Surveillance is essential to identify early surge in cases and initiating containment measures, TAC observed, in its recommendations to the Government. A minimum of five to 10 RT PCR tests per day per CHC/PHC should be done.</p>.<p>All persons with symptoms in the outpatient department (OPD), all persons with any symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 and not vaccinated must be tested, and a fixed proportion (5-10 samples/per day/CHC) of all the OPD patients in hospitals to be tested.</p>.<p>The technical committee recommended random testing in congregation sites: 15 samples/per day/PHC or CHC. Collect samples from workplaces, bus stands, railway stations and the results shall be uploaded to the ICMR database.</p>.<p>Schools and colleges when open: (10 samples per week). Check posts and entry points into the State: (five samples per day) random testing must be made mandatory. In the case of strong clinical suspicion of Covid-19, the technical panel recommended that a repeat RT-PCR should be done after 24 hours in case of negative test results. If the second RT-PCR is also negative, the chest X-ray/high-resolution CT scan is recommended.</p>.<p>Five per cent of all the samples from high positivity districts (test positivity rate more than 2%) are to be sent for genomic surveillance, TAC said. It asked for sequencing of samples if cases are from super spreader events or proven cases of re-infections.</p>.<p>It also recommended sequencing of samples from clusters of cases in children, infection after vaccination (breakthrough infections) and cases from international travellers. It also recommended door-to-door testing by ASHAs in high positivity districts (with more than 5%).</p>
