Out of this, 40 coronavirus SARI cases did not have any international travel history or contact with laboratory tested confirmed COVID-19 positive case.
A total of 5,911 SARI patients participated in the study out of which 104 (1.8 per cent) tested positive for COVID-19. In all, 40 (39.2 per cent) COVID-19 cases did not report any history of contact with a known case or international travel.
The COVID-19 positivity was higher among males and the patients aged above 50 years, states the study. These cases were reported from 52 districts in 20 States/Union Territories. SARI patients admitted at 41 sentinel sites from February 15 onwards were tested for COVID-19 by the real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
This study by ICMR has now been published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR). The study was done on SARI patients to identify the spread and extent of transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARI surveillance was initiated in the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in India.
The findings of the study have pointed out that COVID-19 cases among SARI patients were detected from 52 districts in 20 states. The majority of SARI patients were tested from Gujarat (792), Tamil Nadu (577), Maharashtra (553) and Kerala (502) with COVID-19 positivity of 1.6, 0.9, 3.8 and 0.2 per cent, respectively.
COVID-19 positive SARI patients were detected from eight districts in Maharashtra, six in West Bengal and five each in Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
"COVID-19 positivity among SARI patients increased from zero per cent before March 14, to 2.6 per cent by April 2, 2020. In 15 Indian States, more than one per cent of SARI patients were COVID-19 positive. About a third of COVID-19 positive SARI cases did not have any history of contact with the laboratory-confirmed case or international travel, and such cases were reported from 36 Indian districts in 15 States," stated the study.
In India, the initial COVID-19 testing strategy included people who had international travel history with symptoms, symptomatic contacts of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus positive patients and symptomatic healthcare workers managing respiratory distress or severe acute respiratory illness (SARI).
In addition, to track the progression of the epidemic in the early phase, stored samples of SARI patients hospitalised since February 15, 2020, were also tested for COVID-19 under the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory Network (VRDLN).
The ICMR has recommended that COVID-19 containment activities need to be targeted in districts reporting coronavirus cases among SARI patients and stated that intensifying sentinel surveillance for COVID-19 among SARI patients may be an efficient tool to effectively use resources towards containment and mitigation efforts.
( With inputs from ANI )