Covid test not needed for non-ILI or SARI deaths, says Karnataka Health dept

Incidental Covid findings unnecessarily increase the number of fatalities.

The state health department recently issued a circular saying dead bodies need not be tested for Covid unless the patient had ILI (Influenza-Like Illness) or SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) symptoms, in which case he/she has to be tested within six hours.

During the first two waves, the bodies of infected and uninfected people were sent to separate crematoria to prevent non-Covid grievers from getting exposed to the infection from those who may have had contact with Covid patients. Doing away with testing would now put them in danger of exposure.

Stopping the testing of bodies will also bring down the state’s fatality numbers.

In response to DH’s query, the health department said: “We can’t presume every (dead) body to be a suspected Covid case. Chances of detecting Covid are higher with ILI and SARI cases and that, too, if tested early.”

Moreover, testing every deceased person would divert the attention and time of the testing teams from their core target groups as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) norms, the department added.

Eshwar Prasad, head of the Banashankari crematorium, said they would take precautions like donning PPEs if the patient’s family conveyed the positive status of the deceased beforehand.

"We don't insist on the RT-PCR certificate to check the patient's Covid status,” Prasad said, adding that they get just two or three Covid bodies as against 10 non-Covid bodies.

Tanveer Ahmed, who volunteers with the NGO Mercy Angels that has cremated 2,000 bodies since the pandemic began, said crematorium staff do not demand an RT-PCR test, but ask for money sufficient to buy four PPE sets if the death certificates mention Covid pneumonia.

“Calls to cremate dead bodies are not as high as during the second wave, but we still get them,” Tanveer said. “When patients die at home, the visiting BBMP health inspector will ask for a Covid test before issuing the doctor’s certificate on cause of death. On seeing Covid mentioned in the death certificate, crematorium staff demand money for PPEs.”

Dr C N Manjunath, state Covid-19 nodal officer for testing, said incidental Covid positivity is unnecessarily jacking up case fatality rate.

“Even if the patient dies of myocardial infarction (heart attack), the cause of death is still recorded as Covid in cases where they test positive. This leads to a rise in officially recorded Covid deaths,” he said.

Check out DH's latest videos: