Covid: 2% of incoming international flyers to be tested in Karnataka

With Covid-19 cases rising rapidly, Karnataka has mandated the random screening of 2% of all incoming international flyers by RT-PCR, genomic sequencing of all positive samples, and placing all patients under observation or quarantine.

The fresh operational guidelines for the revised surveillance strategy have been issued by Health Commissioner D Randeep.

He stated that screening incoming international travellers was a pivotal part of the surveillance to detect the entry of the virus and its variants into India from other parts of the world.

In addition, all healthcare facilities are to report Influence-Like Illness (ILI) patients from the OPD, and every 20th patient should be tested for Covid-19. Monitoring Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) patients in all government and select tertiary private hospitals and testing them for Covid-19 by RT-PCR is also mandatory.

Community-based surveillance, which focuses on unusual events such as large outbreaks, will be achieved by event-based surveillance through media scanning, he added.