New Delhi: In the view of a significant spurt of Coronavirus cases across the country this week, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued new guidelines for testing strategy for effective tracking of Covid-19 cases. In its official notification, revised late on Friday night, ICMR stated that all hospitalised patients with severe acute respiratory illness, shortness of breath and having fever and cough will now be tested for COVID-19 infection.

The new guidelines also said asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between Day 5 and Day 14 of coming in to the contact of infected person. The new strategy aims to contain the spread of infection more effectively and to provide reliable diagnosis to all individuals meeting the inclusion criteria of COVID-19 testing.

Till now, all asymptomatic individuals who undertook international travel in the last 14 days and developed symptoms, all symptomatic contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases and all symptomatic health care workers were being tested for the infection as per the guidelines.

"Once community transmission is documented, the above testing strategy will undergo changes to evolve into stage-appropriate testing strategy," ICMR said in its official notification. Advisory for testing are being reviewed and updated periodically.

The testing strategy is reviewed by the National Task Force constituted by Secretary DHR & DG, ICMR and Chaired by VK Paul, a member of the NITI Aayog.

Here's a guideline to people who must undergo Coronavirus test under the new ICMR notification:

i. Anyone who has travelled abroad in the past 2 weeks and has symptoms like fever, cough, or breathing issue must undergo Covid-19 test

ii. Asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of an infected person should be tested between day 5 and day 14 of coming into contact with the infected person

iii. Healthcare workers attending patients of Coronavirus and develop symptoms or those who are exposed to a Covid-19 patient

iv. All patients hospitalised with Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI), which involves the history of a fever higher than 38 C° and cough for over past 10 days

v. Anyone who has come in direct or high-risk contact of a Coronavirus patient or those living in same house with the patient must undergo Covid-19 test immediately

The Coronavirus cases rose to 271 on Saturday in India with fresh cases being reported from various parts of the country. India has so far witnessed cases of COVID-19 mostly related to travel and local transmission from imported cases. Community transmission of the disease has not been documented till now.