TN struggles to increase testing even as Covid positivity rate spikes

CHENNAI: With daily increase in cases, Covid test positivity rate touched 6.5 per cent in Tamil Nadu. As per the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, positivity rate above 5 per cent stresses the need to step up testing and monitor all cases for identification of prevalent variants.

Currently, majority of cases are of XBB.1.16 variant in Tamil Nadu,according to health officials.

Even as at least 12 districts reported a TPR more than 5 per cent, with Chennai, Chengalpattu, Coimbatore and Tiruvallur reporting about 7-8 per cent TPR, testing has not exceeded even 4,000, which is a cause of concern.

Meanwhile, the State Health Department officials say that testing is a challenge as people are staying at home and are not stepping forward as the intensity of the infection remains low.

"We are testing all the reported cases as per the guidelines, but there are people who do not test themselves if they have symptoms. They assume it to be common cold. This is a challenge for us because we cannot force anyone to visit healthcare facilities and get tested," says Dr TS Selvavinayagam, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

As per the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines, symptomatic individuals with cough, fever, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, breathlessness or other respiratory symptoms should be tested. The at-risk contacts of laboratory confirmed cases, which includes people with co-morbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic lung or kidney disease, malignancy and obesity should also be tested apart from clustering of cases.

Dr P Sampath, joint director of the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, says that despite strict monitoring and surveillance of cases, it is difficult to make the public understand that testing is important. "Of all the tested cases and based on the whole genomic sequencing of the random sample testing, the XBB.1.16 variant is the most prevalent in Tamil Nadu," said Dr Sampath.

"In case of fever, many opt for self medication to get cured at home in few days and don't get tested. They think some unnecessary panic is being created over Covid. Though the intensity of infection is low, elderly people, individuals with comorbid conditions and children below the age of 5 years should visit healthcare facilities or there can be complications later on. People should not be careless in case of fever, especially the at risk category," he said.

Meanwhile, in hospital settings, all Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses (SARI) cases should be tested and 5 per cent of all Influenza like illnesses among outpatients also need testing. However, no emergency procedure should be delayed for lack of a test and patients should not be referred to other facilities for lack of a testing facility.