1,61,330 tests conducted for coronavirus, 6872 found COVID-19 positive till April 10: ICMR

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Saturday stated that a total of 1, 61, 330 samples have been tested on April 10 out of which 6872 individuals were confirmed positive.

"Today on 10th April 2020, till 9 PM IST, 15,663 samples have been reported. Of these, 433 were positive for SARS-CoV-2," an ICMR statement read.

An ICMR official said that a total of 213 testing laboratories are present in the country which includes 146 government and 67 private labs.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Thursday intensified the testing strategy for COVID-19 cases, especially in hotspots and evacuees centres that have been identified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

ICMR has directed that in the hotspots, cluster areas, large migration gatherings and evacuees centres, all symptomatic ILI (fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose) will have to be tested within seven days of illness (rRT-PCR) and after that period, an antibody test (if negative, confirmed by rRT-PCR) will be done.

For regions other than the above, the testing strategy is to test all symptomatic individuals who have undertaken foreign travel in the last 14 days, all symptomatic contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases, all symptomatic healthcare workers, all patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (fever, cough and/or shortness of breath). Asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of a confirmed case should be tested once between day five and day 14 of coming in his/her contact.

The total number of cases in India has risen to 7447 with 239 deaths as of Saturday, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated.