Asymptomatic, but high-risk contacts of COVID-19 patients can now get tested for the novel coronavirus without a doctor’s prescription, as per a new guideline issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The Maharashtra government, meanwhile, has formed a committee to revise the cost of tests.
High-risk contacts will now only need to submit a self-declaration form to the laboratory stating that their close contact has contracted COVID-19. The move will bring relief to many high-risk contacts who live with the anxiety of not knowing if they have contracted the virus.
“Many people were also finding it difficult to secure a doctor’s prescription. The new guidelines will ease that,” said Dr. Pranita Tipre, deputy executive health officer, BMC. Till now, the BMC had permitted testing only for those contacts who had symptoms and could produce a doctor’s prescription.
“It is a very good move. It was much needed,” said Dr. Pratit Samdani, a physician based in south Mumbai. He said everyone who wishes to get tested should be permitted to do so. Dr. Samdani said, “The mass testing strategy in other countries has worked effectively along with contact tracing, isolating and quarantining individuals. We should allow testing for many more people.”
Dr. Samdani said the city’s testing capacity should be bolstered so that more swab samples are taken and reports issued on time.
For the past week, Mumbai has carried out an average of 4,000 tests a day. Over two lakh tests have been done in the city since the start of the outbreak.
The cost of one COVID-19 test is ₹4,500 in private laboratories, but the BMC gets a test done for ₹3500 when it outsources samples of patients to private labs. The Indian Council of Medical Research has informed all States that the price cap can be lowered as availability of testing kits is no longer a problem.