When should you get tested for COVID-19? At the slightest hint of any of the symptoms associated with the new viral disease.
“These days, cough, cold, fever and sore throat means COVID-19, unless proved otherwise. These symptoms could be due to other viruses as well. But the starting point [of diagnosis] has to be COVID. People ought to get tested the same day if they see any of these symptoms, and should isolate themselves quickly,” Dr Vinod Kumar Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog, told media.
The government's pandemic management strategy was based on testing, and people shouldn't be apprehensive or hesitate to get a COVID test done, he said. “Winters mean people stay indoors, and hence transmission increases. While one set of festivals are already over, the results in terms of COVID transmission will only be seen in the next fortnight,” Paul said, adding that with the upcoming festivals, particularly Diwali, Gurupurab and Christmas, caution needs to be exercised.
Given that the serological surveys have indicated that there's still a large number of susceptible population in our country, and the medical community is still unsure of how the virus behaves, it is imperative that people follow COVID-appropriate behaviour, health ministry officials said. “More and more data on masks offering protection comparable to vaccines have emerged. It has also been observed that masks don't prevent oxygen flow, and hence, people should use them while exercising and walking, too,” Dr Balram Bhargava, director general, ICMR, said.
Officials emphasised that though active cases had been declining over the past few weeks, the threat of the gains being lost over the next few weeks – unless people avoided crowds, especially indoors, and wore masks properly – remains. Already, some states such as Delhi and NCR region are witnessing a rise in cases over the last month. Kerala and West Bengal, too, reported a rise in cases—while Kerala reported 86,792 cases (up from 77, 564), West bengal saw cases jump from 26,865 to 36, 576 last month. States such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, UP, however, had shown a drop in the number of cases.
Emphasizing on individual behaviour and responsibility, Paul advised that people should avoid crowds, and ensure that they wear masks with their nose and mouth covered.
Over the last couple of months, the health ministry has been emphasizing on the winter-COVID connection, hinting that the subsequent peaks could be even higher and invoking the worsening situation and national lockdowns in European countries such as France, UK, Germany and Italy. In the wake of the festival season and people crowding in markets and other places, the COVID situation is being assessed as grim by officials.
Public health experts, however, have been sceptical of the government's view on the winter-COVID link. (https://www.theweek.in/theweek/specials/2020/10/29/winter-warning.html) Contrary to the government's advisory, they believe that staying indoors could actually result in bringing the infections down.
On the government's COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the government's immunisation programme has 28,000 cold chain points, 700-plus refrigerated vans, and 70,000 plus vaccinators in its system. The national expert committee on vaccine administration is also engaging with corporate healthcare providers on the matter of availability of vaccinators and cold chain equipment within their systems, Bhushan said.