New Delhi, May 11: With the revised guidelines for home isolation of the mild / pre -symptomatic COVID 19 cases, the Health Ministry on Monday said that there was no need for testing in such cases after the end of home isolation period.
As per the revised guidelines, isolation is to be ended after 17 days of symptom onset & 10 days of no fever in such cases, and no need for testing after isolation is over.
Health Ministry has also appealed to the people that all have to concentrate efforts in helping those who have symptoms to come forward and not hide as this will only put their families and others at risk.
Highlighting the importance of health seeking behaviour, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry said that stepping out and getting treatment timely is the key.
The Union Health Ministry in the revised guidelines has also emphasized on having round the clock care giver to such cases at residence, and the premises must have requisite facilities.
The government has also revised the discharge policy regarding COVID 19 patients, and as per new discharge policy, very mild/mild and moderate patients can be discharged without COVID19 test, subject to their clinical conditions.
In the revised discharge policy the patients are divided into three sections, that are Very Mild/Mild/Pre Symptomatic, Moderate and Severe.
Accordingly discharge guidelines have been set based on the condition of the patients falling under the three sections.
It also important to note that the discharge policy is not meant for home or facility quarantine patients, he added.
Speaking about the recovery rate, Agarwal said that the present recovery rate has improved to 31.15 per cent on Monday with a total of 20917 cases recovered so far across the country.
He said that the total number of cases at present in country were 67152, including the 4213 cases that were added in the past 24 hours time.
The number of active cases under medical supervision at present stand at 44029 across the country.
The MHA meanwhile informed that it has issued Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) to facilitate movement of persons by train.
Movement of passengers permitted only on confirmed e-ticket and strict adherence to health, hygiene protocols and social distancing is to be maintained, said Punya Salila Shrivastava, Joint Secretary MHA.
‘only passengers with confirmed e-tickets can enter railway station, screening to be done, only asymptomatic passengers can travel, face masks compulsory, physical distancing to be followed,’ she emphasized.
The MHA has also written to the states and UTs to prevent migrant workers from resorting to walking on road or railway tracks to reach their native places, and is reviewing operation of Shramik Special Trains to facilitate faster movement of stranded workers, she added.
