Some 20% of the samples lifted for COVID-19 testing should be from the random sampling category, the Health Department has said in its latest sampling protocol for RT-PCR testing.
In an order, the Department has said that random samples will be lifted from vulnerable places such as pharmacies, fair price shops and markets, public places such as bus stands, railway stations, government offices and hotels, and from vulnerable groups like vegetable vendors, taxi/auto drivers, transport staff in government and private services, tea shop staff and patients visiting non-communicable clinics.
For the sampling criteria in the community, the Department said all symptomatic cases and all symptomatic high-risk individuals such as those with diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, hypertension, chronic lung disease, cancer and chronic kidney disease could be tested.
All symptomatic individuals with a history of travel to any city, all contacts of laboratory positive cases, extended contacts during low transmission period, everyone in the workplace of a lab confirmed positive patient (such as employees of a bank, office or textile showroom), all ante-natal women within four days of expected date of delivery, travellers from foreign countries with or without symptoms, cataract cases identified for surgery at camp sites and all individuals who wish to get tested will be covered.
Mandatory sample lifting and testing will be carried out to fulfil travel requirements, and any new inmate in old-age homes, jails and homes for the mentally challenged too will be covered.
The result must be declared within 24 hours of sampling, and results must be communicated to all individuals through SMS even if it is negative, the Department has said.
