Don’t panic, stop crowding hospitals in case of mild symptoms: ICMR

As the number of infected people rise, the ICMR had on Saturday said it was roping in private laboratories to carry out tests as well.

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While laboratories were gearing up to conduct more tests, not everyone required to get themselves tested. (Representational)

While it has roped in more government and private laboratories to carry out confirmatory tests for the novel-coronavirus, the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Monday said everyone showing mild symptoms for the disease might not need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.

Urging people not to panic and not rush to hospitals in case of mild symptoms, R R Gangakhedkar, head of epidemiology and communicable disease division at ICMR, said it was important not to overcrowd hospitals at a time when people need immediate medical attention.

“What needs to be done now is to ensure that we do not overcrowd our hospitals and spread the infection. Let’s keep our frontline health workers safe too, and opt for digital consultation with doctors,” Gangakhedkar told The Indian Express.

He said while laboratories were gearing up to conduct more tests, not everyone required to get themselves tested.

“The tests are only a tool to detect the virus and assess whether medical attention is required. There will eventually come a stage when tests would not be necessary, and symptoms can be managed by medical guidance at home. It is crucial to reduce the load on hospitals, and I urge people not to panic or rush to outpatient departments of hospitals where the risk of infection is likely to be very high,” he said.

“It is heartening to see so many people following the instructions seriously and staying at home. It is crucial to ensure that they do not flock to hospitals. This is one place where social distancing is unlikely to happen,” he said.

He also highlighted the urgent need to equip all doctors and other medical staff with sufficient personal protective gears.

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“We need to keep our health professionals safe and fit. Otherwise, it will become an army with lesser number of soldiers,” he said.

So far, India has recorded 415 positive coronavirus cases, of which seven people have died. As the number of infected people rise, the ICMR had on Saturday said it was roping in private laboratories to carry out tests as well. There are 111 government laboratories that are currently testing samples, and Gangakhedkar said, about 50 private laboratories had applied for permission to do so. He said about 5,000 samples were being tested every week, and that the government had enough testing kits to last at least a fortnight.

He said ICMR had also initiated a study to assess how soon the virus-shedding starts to occur amongst infected persons and at what stage it loses its potency to infect. This will allow health officials to decide whether infected patients could be discharged before their 14-day quarantine period.

“For this study we are following up on the patients who are admitted across the country, and their contacts,” he said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. ``Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) "Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. ``At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure "For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. ``Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions X (Twitter): @runaanu ... Read More