The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has hinted the possibility of community transmission of coronavirus in some clusters of the country.
According to a report published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR), a total of 5,911 SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses) patients were tested for COVID-19 between February 15 and April 2.
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Out of the 5911 SARI patients, 104 tested positive for COVID-19 and these cases were reported from 52 districts in 21 States /Union Territories.
At least 40 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 didn’t have any foreign travel history or any connection with a foreign traveller and these cases were reported from 36 Indian districts in 15 states.
The report said, “These districts need to be prioritised to target Covid-19 containment activities. Only two cases (two per cent of those tested positive) reported contact with a confirmed case, one case (one per cent of those tested positive) reported recent international travel, and, for about 59 such cases (57.8 per cent), exposure history was not available.”
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The majority of the SARI patients tested were from Gujarat (792), Tamil Nadu (577), Maharashtra (553) and Kerala (502).
COVID-19 containment activities need to be targeted in districts reporting COVID-19 cases among SARI patients, the reports concludes.
Intensifying sentinel surveillance for COVID-19 among SARI patients may be an efficient tool to effectively use resources towards containment and mitigation efforts, it added.