With the spread of coronavirus showing no sign of abating, all of India — much like everywhere in the world — is currently preoccupied with the unavoidable question: How do find out if I and my family have been infected?

Here we try to collate the relevant info on how it is being tested and found out if one has caught the dreaded virus that has already killed in thousands.

This strain of the coronavirus - COVID-19 - does not have a readily available test kit. But it can nevertheless be detected by a series of tests in the hospital.

Tests for the virus can only be conducted in specialised labs that are certified to do so. The lab will acquire one of the following samples from you:

• A swab test: The lab will take a special cotton swab and sample the inside of the throat or nose
• A nasal aspirate: The lab will inject a saline solution into your nose, then remove the sample with gentle suction.
• A tracheal aspirate: A thin, lighted tube called a bronchoscope goes into your lungs, where a sample will be collected.
• A sputum test: Sputum is a variation of mucus from your lungs that can be coughed out or sampled from the nose with a swab
• A blood test

The collected sample will be analysed for the virus, either through a blanket test for all variants of the coronavirus (including regular flu) or through a specialised gene sequencing test that locates the marker for the novel coronavirus.

However, you may only need testing if you have symptoms of infection and have recently traveled to parts of the world where infection rates are high. You may also need testing if you have had close contact with someone who has traveled to one of those areas. The symptoms of COVID-19 include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Sore throat

As of now, there is no cure for the COVID-19 infection.