Goa will now discharge asymptomatic patients without negative test

According to the Union Health Ministry’s guidelines, asymptomatic patients or those who have tested positive but displayed no symptoms can be discharged within 10 days if they do not show any symptoms during the period.

 

Panaji(Agencies): The Goa government will follow the discharge protocol as recommended by the Union Health Ministry and cease its practice of compulsorily testing each Covid-19 patient twice before release, the state’s Health Secretary Nila Mohanan said on Saturday.

According to the Union Health Ministry’s guidelines, asymptomatic patients or those who have tested positive but displayed no symptoms can be discharged within ten days if they do not show any symptoms during the period. Symptomatic patients are, however, to be tested before the treating doctor decides the patient is cured and can be discharged.

 “In Goa we were testing all patients twice as we, like many other states, had chosen to continue with the earlier protocol of two consecutive negative tests before discharge. The Supreme Court has, however, ordered that the same protocol be followed across the country and we are bound by that,” Mohanan said at a press conference.

 “Asymptomatic patients will be discharged without a test in 10 days if they do not display any symptoms and be asked to maintain home quarantine. Symptomatic patients will be discharged with a single negative test,” she said.

Covid-19 cases in Goa have soared in Goa since the beginning of June and its tally now stands at 754 cases of which 625 are active. Almost 95% of the patients are asymptomatic but are awaiting two consecutive negative tests in order that they can be discharged, as is the current protocol.

Twenty nine fresh cases were detected on Saturday. A large chunk -- 505 of the 754 -- cases in Goa are either from or linked to Goa’s first containment zone that was notified earlier this month at Mangor Hill in the port town of Vasco da Gama.

Since then Goa has three more containment zones where smaller areas have been cordoned off on account of clusters of cases being found.