E-Paper
Govt defends changes in discharge policy
The earlier criteria for discharging RT-PCR positive were that chest radiograph (image) was clear, and two consecutive negative test results on RT-PCR.
The Union health ministry defended on Monday its decision to drastically change the discharge policy for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) last week by saying that unless patients had a severe disease or were vulnerable, they do not need to obtain a negative test before they can be freed.
“The discharge policy has been changed based on the current evidence-based trend world over. In many countries the discharge approach has changed from test-based strategy to symptom or time based strategy,” said Lav Agarwal, joint secretary, health ministry at the daily government briefing on the crisis.
“In ICMR’s lab surveillance data also that was recently reviewed it was found that RT-PCR positive patients turn negative usually after 10 days. There are other recent studies that say viral load also peaks in the pre-symptomatic period, which is two days before onset of symptoms and in next seven days starts going down. The new discharge policy was drafted keeping these trends in mind. It is meant only for patients who tested positive through RT-PCR test,” he added.
The earlier criteria for discharging RT-PCR positive were that chest radiograph (image) was clear, and two consecutive negative test results on RT-PCR.
At the briefing, the information and technology ministry said the government is using mobile phone tower data of migrants to trace their movement.
Tower data before and during the lockdown has been analysed to trace movement of migrants, and Bihar has successfully used the mechanism to trace people from various metros to their homes in Bihar. The government said similar requests have come in from Odisha, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra governments.
