Amid rising number of cases in Mumbai, BMC issues revised COVID-19 testing guidelines

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Wednesday, May 28, issued revised guidelines for COVID-19 testing in Mumbai amid the rising number of cases. The order stated that the BMC would ramp up the testing of symptomatic cases to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. It specified that a prescription of a registered medical practitioner is mandatory for the testing for COVID-19.

Moreover, the testing of mild, very mild, pre-symptomatic positive patients shall not be required before discharge if no symptoms are seen on the 7th, 8th, and 9th days consecutively. While moderate symptomatic patients need not be tested before discharge if they have recovered clinically, testing is required once in the case of discharge pertaining to critical patients.

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Here are the testing categories:

• All symptomatic persons within 14 days of international travel 
• All symptomatic contacts of confirmed cases
• All symptomatic healthcare workers
• All hospitalized patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness
• Pregnant women residing in the containment areas, evacuees centre from hotspot districts in labour or likely to deliver in the next 5 days (even if asymptomatic) shall be tested
• All symptomatic patients in SARI clinics, fever clinics and OPDs of hospitals
• Quarantined asymptomatic, direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case will be tested once between day 5 and day 14 of coming in contact
• A doctor can ask for COVID-19 test to be conducted for persons requiring elective surgery
• COVID-19 test may be prescribed for dialysis patients only if there is a strong suspicion

Testing not required:

• Patients requiring emergency surgeries
• Patients on regular haemodialysis
• Discharge of mild, very mild, pre-symptomatic positive cases if no symptoms are seen on the 7th, 8th, and 9th days consecutively
• Discharge of moderate symptomatic patients if they have recovered clinically

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Novel coronavirus crisis in Maharashtra

Currently, there are 56,948 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Maharashtra out of which 17,918 patients have been discharged while 1897 casualties have been reported. With 34,018 cases and 1097 deaths, Mumbai remains a major COVID-19 hotspot of the state.  According to the Public Health Department of the Maharashtra government, the patient doubling rate in the state has increased to 14.7 days on Wednesday as compared to 11.5 days in the previous week.

Furthermore, 12.4% of the total laboratory tests done in India (32,42,160) have been done in Maharashtra. The state has conducted 3,142 tests per million population as against the national average of 2,363 tests per million population. 

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