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On Wednesday, India recorded a single-day rise of 2,151 new coronavirus cases — the highest in five months. According to Union Health Ministry data, active cases increased to 11,903, with Delhi logging 300 Covid cases and two deaths with a positive rate of 13.89 per cent. According to experts, the recent spike has been “amplified by the absence of social distancing measures following two years of reduced flu cases”, which could mean potential exposure for people more susceptible to infection. “There may be an increase in the Covid cases recently because the weather conditions are optimal for virus survival,” said Dr Tushar Tayal, consultant, internal medicine, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram.
In such a scenario they vehemently stress the urgent need to take preventative measures to avoid falling sick.
“The current circulating variants of Covid are causing flu like symptoms which are self limiting and treatable with simple symptomatic medications and there is no significant increase in hospitalisations presently,” mentioned Dr Tayal.
As infections like the flu and Covid-19 share many common traits, it is not easy to identify either based on symptoms alone. Overlapping symptoms include: fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle pain or body ache, sore throat, and fatigue (while one differentiator is the change in or loss of taste or smell, which is much more frequent with Covid-19), said Dr Agam Vora, chest physician and medical director, Vora Clinic, Mumbai.
He added that with different types of respiratory tract infections spreading in parallel, it can become difficult for people to “identify the type of infection they have, which could result in unnecessary or incorrect treatment”. “Hence, understanding an individual’s type of illness, which can be done with testing, can guide appropriate treatment,” added Dr Vora.
Adding, Dr Chandrashekhar Nair, CTO, Molbio Diagnostics, highlighted the possibility of multiple variants in circulation. “However, as seen from the omicron experience, we probably have a hybrid immunity by now. That being said, we still have a significant vulnerable population that could develop serious complications due to covid, if not tested and treated appropriately. Newer variants in circulation have adapted to infect us more effectively and would spread faster in the community,” Dr Nair told indianexpress.com.
The Ministry of Health also issued revised Clinical Guidance for Management of Adult Covid-19 patients on March 28, 2023.
Here are some simple steps for you to take care of your health in this situation
Get tested: Identifying the infection you’re affected by is an important first step to care. Consult your doctor, and test for suspected respiratory infections – either with a self-test, or at the point of care. Rapid testing options are available for various respiratory tract infections, supporting fast and accurate diagnosis — the information you need to determine the appropriate treatment.
Concurred Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus group of hospitals and said that home testing can be a convenient and accessible way to monitor for Covid. “There are various types of home tests available, including rapid antigen tests and PCR tests. It is important to follow the instructions carefully and to understand the limitations of each test. If you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with Covid, it is recommended to seek medical advice and get tested by a healthcare professional,” said Dr Bajaj.
He further advised that while one can purchase home testing kits online or at pharmacies, it is important to ensure that the kit is authorised by regulatory bodies. “If you have any concerns or questions about home testing, you can also consult with your healthcare provider,” said Dr Bajaj.
Monitor your condition: Keep an eye on your symptoms and their intensity – such as if your fever is rising, or any symptoms are getting worse, at which point you should consult your doctor.
Seek treatment: With early diagnosis, you can promptly seek treatment. Make sure to properly adhere to the full course of medication and guidelines your doctor may have prescribed, to help relieve symptoms and fight the infection.
Take care of yourself: Get plenty of rest and sleep. Take it easy, stay well hydrated (such as with water, broths, coconut water, or fresh juice), and eat healthy.
Stay at home: Whether Covid-19 or the flu, you should isolate so you can take time to recuperate, while also ensuring the infection is not spread further to other people, said Dr Vora.
Highlighting the need and importance of timely testing, Dr Nair said, “With the technology in hand, we can prevent the further spread of the disease and control it in time.”
People can also do home testing with Covid kits but they have to ensure the kit they are using tests for ‘3 target genes’ which will cover most Covid variants, said Dr Tayal. “Home testing kits are freely available and testing is extremely simple and the instructions are attached along with the kit. All kits come with a swab which has to be used to take a nasal/throat swab. The swab tip is then inserted into a liquid medium and the tip is then broken off into the medium. Few drops of the liquid are then poured into the plastic testing device and the result is available in few minutes,” Dr Tayal described.
Elucidating how to study the results, Dr Tayal added, “The plastic device is clear initially but will develop a single dark line if the test is negative and two dark lines if the test is positive. If the second line is faint or unclear, one may repeat the test.”
According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), real time RTPCR and Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) are the mainstay of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in India. It also said that currently, home testing by RAT is advised in symptomatic individuals and immediate contacts of confirmed positive cases.
ICMR’s three main types of Covid tests are molecular tests (also known as PCR tests) which detect the genetic material of the coronavirus, antigen tests that detect coronavirus proteins, and antibody tests that detect antibodies produced by your body‘s immune system in response to a previous Covid infection. However, antibody tests cannot be used to diagnose an active Covid infection.
Agreeing Dr Nair said that there are a few molecular tests run by the government and private lab networks as point-of-care tests. “One of them is Truenat RTPCR, which can provide samples to test results in an hour’s time. Apart from it many homegrown tests and imported ones too are being used in labs. Several antigen tests are also widely available,” said Dr Nair.
– Find a clean place.
– Identify a table and sanitise the surface.
– Wash your hands with soap, and make sure they are dry before you perform the test.
– Tear the pouch and lay the contents of the kit on the table.
– Before you proceed, download the app mentioned in the testing kit and fill in the credentials. This is important so that no positive case is missed.
Expressing concern over the spike in Covid cases, Dr Bajaj said that it is important to take measures to protect yourself and others, such as getting vaccinated, practicing good hygiene, and wearing a mask in public places. Agreed Sunil Mehra, general manager, Abbott’s Rapid Diagnostics Business in India, and said testing remains integral to Covid management, alongside vaccinations and other public health measures. “Rapid point of care tests play a particularly important role as they are reliable, easy-to-use, portable, and return results in minutes. This makes it easier for the infected individuals to know their status faster and isolate themselves immediately to prevent the virus from spreading further. High quality testing solutions backed by research are crucial to give an accurate result. This is where the sensitivity and specificity of the test play a critical role to minimise false positives or negatives,” said Mehra.
Test sample: Nasal swab
Time to test: 1 minute
Result time: 15 minutes
Cost: Rs 225-250
What does it detect? As per the user manual, a lateral flow test that detects the nucleocapsid protein antigen of the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in a swab from the mid turbinate nasal region
What does the kit have? The product includes a test device, a bottle with buffer solution, an extraction tube/cap and a nasal swab.
How to know the result?
*Click a photo of the test device on the app for result interpretation
*A coloured test line would be visible in the result window if SARS-CoV-2 antigens are present in the specimen. The intensity of coloured test line will vary depending upon the amount of SARS-CoV-2 antigen present in the specimen.
*If SARS- CoV-2 antigens are not present in the specimen, then no line appears in the test line.
*The control band is used for procedural control and should always appear if the test procedure is performed correctly
*A line in the Control (C) line area within the result reading window will only become visible if the test was performed correctly.
*A line in the Test (T) line area within the result reading window will only become visible if Coronavirus proteins are detected. The presence of only a Control (C) line, without visible Test (T) line, indicates the coronavirus proteins are not present.
What to keep in mind?
*A positive test result should be considered as a true positive and does not need reconfirmation by RT-PCR test.
*Negative results must be combined with clinical observations, patient history, and epidemiological information.
*Symptomatic individuals identified negative by RAT should be linked with RT-PCR test facility and subsequently get tested by RT-PCR to rule out Covid-19 infection. In the meantime, such individual will be urged to follow home isolation and treatment as a negative report on RAT may not be true negative in some cases.
How to dispose?
*Place the swab, tube and test device into the disposal bag.
*Seal the disposal bag and dispose the bag in a waste bin.
*Wash your hands.
Test sample: Saliva
Test time: 1-6 minutes
Result time: 15 minutes
Cost: Rs 250
How to use?
*Download the EONMED app. Open the app and fill credentials.
*Wash or sanitise your hands. Make sure they are dry before starting.
*Ensure kit is at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to use.
*Open the cap of the extraction tube. Place the funnel on the tube. Collect saliva into the tube till it reaches the caliberated mark.
*Close the cap and allow the sample to incubate for five minutes.
*Cover the tube with the attached nozzle cap and tighten the lid.
*Use the extraction tube to add three drops to the crescent. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
How to know the result?
*When the countdown is complete, capture the image using the app.
*The app will automatically analyse the results using artificial intelligence and generate the test certificate.
How to dispose?
Dispose the equipment using the bio-hazard bag.
Read about more home tests in detail here.
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