More than the number of novel coronavirus cases, it’s the clamour for testing that has grown in the past few days. The WHO’s advisory “test, test, test” may not exactly be applicable to India since it has not seen community transmission yet, but it’s still a guiding principle in containing the disease, Covid-19.
On Tuesday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)—India’s apex medical research body—made it clear that it was broadening testing for the infection. It’s a graded response given the country’s creaking healthcare infrastructure. India is still in Stage 2—most cases are imported with no evidence of community transmission community transmission Community Transmission When a patient contracts an illness spread in such a way that the source of infection remains unknown .