New Delhi, June 6: The Delhi government, headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is facing allegations of the fewer number of testing as the national capital is grappling with coronavirus pandemic. There have been reports that suspected patients were turned away by hospitals when they came for testing. CM Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday refuted charges of low testing, adding that the Delhi government took actions against six laboratories over violations of ICMR guidelines. Delhi Health Department Orders Hospitals to Discharge 'Mild, Asymptomatic Patients Within 24 Hours of Admission'.

What are the ICMR guidelines for coronavirus testing?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had on May 18 issued revised guidelines for testing. According to those guidelines, those who have coronavirus symptoms and are suffering from influenza-like illness (ILI) must be tested for COVID-19. Direct and high-risk contact of confirmed cases should also be tested for coronavirus even if they are asymptomatic, said the guidelines. Coronavirus Pandemic: People Struggle to Get Tested For COVID-19 or Find Hospital Bed in Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, Narrate Ordeal.

Arvind Kejriwal Refutes Charges of Low Testing in Delhi:

ICMR Revised Guidelines For Coronavirus Testing:

  1. All symptomatic (ILI symptoms) 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) health care workers/frontline workers involved in containment and mitigation of COVID19.

  4. All patients of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI).

  5. Asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case to be tested once between day 5 and day 10 of coming into contact.

  6. All symptomatic ILI within hotspots/containment zones.

  7. All hospitalised 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, sample can be sent for testing if indicated as above (1-8), simultaneously.

Kejriwal has given a stern warning to private hospitals over coronavirus patients. "All hospitals built on government land will have to treat corona patients. The government will take strict action against hospitals that refuse to treat such patients," he has said. On Twitter, he also suggested that those having symptoms must be tested first. Delhi after Maharashtra (42,224) presently has the most number of active cases at 15,311. Of the 26,334 confirmed cases in the national capital, 10,315 patients have recovered so far. The death toll stands at 708.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2020 06:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).