Bengaluru: Many experts suggest that covid tests in Karnataka are increased further because this size is no longer relevant given the rapid increase in cases and the third wave edged towards the summit.
Instead, they have advocated a broad drive vaccination to autoculate all adults with the third dose preventive.
At present, 83% of the eligible country population have been given with two doses of vaccines.
Suggestions have come ahead of the review meeting of the Minister of Basavaraj Basavai on Friday, where the government will take the relook to the Covid Country management strategy.
Along with the views of experts, members of the Covid-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) said they had prepared a new advisor to attend the meeting.
“It’s time to review the testing strategy that must be in line with the January 10 guidelines issued by the Indian Medical Research Council (ICMR).
Testing must be purposive in nature, focus on targeted groups.
Therefore, the number of tests will go down,” said the TAC chairman from MK Sudarshan.
ICMR said the test must be limited to symptomatic cases, and individuals without symptoms do not need to be tested.
Even contact positive cases do not need to be tested, unless they are identified as high risk due to age (more than 60 years) or comorbidity.
In fact, at the previous Covid review meeting held on January 11, officials had made this problem and suggested that the government reduce the number of covid tests of 1.5 lakh per day to 75,000.
However, the minister’s chairman decided to increase to 2 lakh.
But given the third wave surge, the government even tested 2.8 lakh a day.
At present, countries do around 2 lakh tests every day.
“Extensive testing is not needed at this point when the third wave is proven to peak in urban areas and rural areas will witness its peak in one or two weeks.
What is needed to save resources such as testing kits and vaccinate all people who meet the third dose,” Famous Virologically said T Jacob John.
Considering a rapid surge in the third wave, experts estimate that at least 30 people are more infected for each positive case detected, and most of them are asymptomatic.
When infections are widespread in the community, virus detection through testing only shows the tip of the iceberg.
Also, with lighter symptoms and five-day infection cycles, very high recovery levels without testing and hospital care.
An official from the Ministry of Health said it would likely reduce the test to 75,000 per day, where 30% would be a quick antigen test (mouse) and the rest will be RT-PCR.
‘With this, the number of fresh cases recorded every day will drastically down even though the positivity test (TPR) will remain high.
However, the TPR is not the cause of concern because the waves are expected to be tapered shortly, “he said.
Latha Kumari, Managing Director of Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd, said:” We have enough stock kits for three months (50 lakh RT-PCR kit and 21 mouse kit lakh).
If the number of tests is reduced to 75,000, then the existing stock can last for six months.
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K’Taka: Reduce Covid testing, give the 3rd dose, the experts say
