Latest Alterations in the CoV-2 Testing Criteria
Latest Alterations in the CoV-2 Testing Criteria
The cure for COVID-19 in the form of a vaccine is yet to be formulated. Countries worldwide have been working on it night and day with some claiming to have gotten nearly close. Apart from the long term cure, the previous situations also did not favour the proper testing of the novel Coronavirus. Tests for the virus are only effective when the symptoms start appearing. A person who is a carrier of the virus does not show symptoms until it’s too late. Gradually we have grown to learn more about the virus and its testing measures have been established accordingly. But due to the lack of resources and information, such measures are limited to be done only through case by case basis. Post the emergence of anonymous community transmission reports worldwide, CDC have specified some latest alterations in the CoV-2 testing criteria.
The CDC testing criteria for the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 are being expanded for the purpose of including a wider group of symptomatic patients. Such changes in the testing criteria are being implemented since more cases of community transmission have emerged in many countries.
What is Community Transmission?
When a certain group of people become infected from CoV-2 without contracting it from a possible source. The known transmissible factors for the outbreak are those people who have either recently gotten back from the disease stricken countries or those who came in contact with people who have travelled. The matter of concern is new reports of COVID-19 positive cases coming from those areas which have been cleared off by the local health authorities for any travelling related activities.
This has pointed out to the speculations of possibility of the virus being highly airborne and spreading with a notorious rate.
As a result, the testing criteria are also expanding with additional precautions and number of test subjects.
Testing to Cover Longer Ranges
In support of this, more regions all over the world are carrying out testing for bigger groups. Some are even opting to putting their provinces one by one under quarantine only for the purpose of analysing and testing for dormant symptoms. This is an effective strategy against the pandemic caused by CoV-2. Restricted any sort of mass gathering is another effective step which has high success rate for disease control.
Persons Under Investigation (PUI) criteria of the CDC
The CDC have shared some guidelines for testing subjects of COVID-19.
1. Based on the sign and symptoms of patients, it will be completely the clinician’s decision to allow them to get tested for Coronavirus. The testing should also be authorised on the basis of local epidemiology.The testing criteria will cover all severe respiratory illness cases.
2. Those with flu like symptoms should be checked for the causative agent.
3. Most of the people infected with CoV-2 show symptoms of fever and difficulty in breathing. Such cases should be analysed and reported.
4. Diagnostic testing should be made available in local and all state levels.
5. The research capacity to develop new and effective rapid diagnostics.
6. The diagnostic capacity should be raised to withhold over 100 patients in a particular region.
7. Increased access to testing at public health laboratories which have authorised CDC test kits.
8. Those clinical labs which are yet to receive the test kits should perform the diagnostic tests authorised by the FDA. These test are labelled under an emergency use authorization.
9. Some of the private medical facilities have been given government affiliation to diagnose COVID-19.
Consequences
More people will now be tested for COVID-19. Contrary to previous belief about the viral transmission only through international travelling or contact with an imported individual, the virus seems to have other means as well. How much this theory is verified, it is still to be confirmed. Until then the significant changes have started taking shape.
Earlier, people who were feeling the symptoms of flu such as cough, cold and fever, were asked to either take preliminary tests or stay at home without testing. This decision was made for those who had no history of international travel, but now it is going to be mandatory for everyone, regardless of their travelling data. This step will help to make inquiries about similar cases and track the anonymous spread routes of the virus.
Speaking of India, cases of community transmission have not been documented so far. This is kind of a relief but further chances can-not be ignored.
As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) statement, “Currently, India has witnessed cases of COVID-19, mostly related to travel and local transmission from imported cases to their immediate contacts. Community transmission of the disease has not been documented till now. Once community transmission is documented, the above testing strategy will undergo changes to evolve into stage-appropriate testing strategy,”
So far, the testing strategy in Indian Healthcare systems have also included asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of documented cases. The individuals who have come in contact with such cases are made sure to be tested once in the first 5 days and on day 14th.
The ICMR quoted, “Direct and high-risk contacts include those who live in the same household with a confirmed case and healthcare workers who examined a confirmed case without adequate protection as per WHO recommendations.”
The testing for COVID-19 is free of cost at all government diagnostic centres.
Coping mechanism of medical test centres and hospitals
The efforts of medical personnel for managing the current situation are highly commendable. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Singh Modi recently appealed to the nation to applaud for those workers who have been continuously devoting themselves to stop the spread of the virus. On 22nd March, 2020 people of India reciprocated to the appeal with huge round of applause from their residences. Such overwhelming display of solidarity!
The health care centres have been working day and night to prevent further infection spread:
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- The outpatients are intricately being arranged as per their level of emergency.
- The inpatient facilities and emergency departments have been maintaining decorum to provide proper care to the large influx of patients scheduled to be tested for COVID-19.
- Emergency command centres have been activated which are enabled with the required inter-communication facility.
- All patient care treatments are CDC recommended.
- All the staff members are making sure to put on protective equipment such as, respiratory masks, gowns and gloves while caring for their patients.
- Patients of other wards are securely separated from the COVID patients and are handled with the best practice of infection prevention and control.
- Certain measures are in motion to mobilize resources, speed up emergency planning and coordinate medical staffing over every city.
The virus will ultimately die down after it has run its course. Until then, effective quarantine and self-precautionary measures are the only resort to contain further spread of the virus.
