If you suspect you have COVID-19 and would like to take the test to confirm it, all you have to do is walk into a Kerala government-approved private laboratory or hospital and get yourself tested, even without a prescription. Based on demand from the public and considering the COVID-19 situation in Kerala, the state government has announced a ‘walk-in COVID-19 test’.
As per this new government order, people who suspect to have COVID-19 symptoms, can walk into private laboratories and hospitals, registered under the Health Department for this purpose, and get tested, even if they do not have a doctor’s prescription for the test, said Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja. Earlier, the prescription of an approved medical practitioner was mandatory to get tested at a private lab or hospital.
“Through this, people would be able to detect the disease early and seek treatment accordingly,” Shailaja teacher said in a press release.
Although no prescription is mandatory, those with the prescription from a registered doctor will be given preference, said the Minister. However, the person taking the COVID-19 test must submit a consent and declaration form as well as submit the copy of government-issued ID proof at the lab.
RT-PCR, TrueNat, CB-NAAT and rapid antigen testing will be done at the private labs and hospitals, at the rates fixed by the state government. On July 24, the Kerala government had announced the tariff for COVID-19 treatment in private hospitals.
Accordingly, the state government capped the cost of RT-PCR (real time-polymerase chain reaction) test at Rs 2,750; Truenat test (Step One) at Rs 1,500; CB-NAAT at Rs 3,000 and antigen test at Rs 625. If the antigen test result turns negative, it must be confirmed with an RT-PCR test, the golden method of diagnosing COVID-19, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Persons walking in for the testing will be given a pre-test and post-test counselling, per the directive to the lab in-charge. As part of the pre-test counselling, the person will be explained the COVID-19 guidelines and prevention methods. After the test, the person will be given counselling on the guidelines to follow from the lab in-charge.
If the COVID-19 test result turns negative, the person will be advised to avoid contact with anybody for 14 days. On the other hand, if the result turns positive for SARS-CoV-2, the lab or hospital will inform DISHA (Direct Intervention System For Health Awareness) on 1056 and admit the patient to either a hospital or a First-Line Treatment Centre (FLTC). The lab in-charge should upload the test results in real-time and inform the district health authorities about the further steps to be taken.
Hospitals and privates labs registered with the Health Department can carry out the tests use the Walk-In Sample Kiosk (WISK) facility to collect samples from the public. WISK refers to a kiosk or a small cabinet that allows the health staff to collect samples from the person sitting outside the cabin using gloves attached to the window.
“Lab technicians or nurses, who have been trained per the COVID-19 protocols, can be deployed to collect samples. The first 20 samples should be collected under the supervision of a doctor. This is in addition to the existing COVID-19 protocols to be followed,” the press release said.
The move by Kerala government order will expand the state’s scope for COVID-19 testing amid rising positive cases, mostly via contact. As on Wednesday, Kerala recorded 30,506 coronavirus cases so far, with 11,983 patients undergoing treatment currently.
Other states in south India, like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, too, have a similar arrangement where persons who suspect to have COVID-19 and would like to get tested, can go to a private hospital, with or without a prescription. In Telangana, diagnostic centres send their staff home for swab collection in such cases.