New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the nodal agency framing the country’s policy for coronavirus testing, has denied any widespread community transmission across the nation despite rise in the number of sporadic cases.
ICMR’s Head of Epidemiology and Disease Control, Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, in an exclusive interview to CNN-News18, said there is no evidence yet of community transmission in India.
Edited excerpts:
Just give us an indication of the numbers of sporadic cases of COVID-19. You said ‘insignificant’. Why is it insignificant and if they don’t fall into the category of COVID-19 community transmission, then which category do these patients fall into?
There is no community transmission in this. We need some amount of evidence to say there is community transmission. We don’t have that kind of evidence yet. What is proven out of this sporadic cases is that some patients are claiming in a few states that there has been no exposure.
What is the conclusion then you draw from these handful of cases?
The conclusion is that the numbers are too small for us to paint any state or district with the same brush. You need to have adequate evidence.
Where have we seen these sporadic cases? In hot spots like Kerala, Maharasthra or elsewhere and how many in numbers?
Numbers are very small. Few states have one or two such reports. One needs to be cautious in interpretation. Unless the numbers increase, it will be very difficult to say there is community transmission.
When does one believe there is community transmission? When a large number of such cases are found? Is there a number you are looking at?
I need to believe it is occurring now. Ensure I adhere to all instructions, it will never ever happen. But if I believe that I will work only when there is a major evidence and the starting of the fire, I won’t be able to douse it.
Until then you believe there is no community transmission in India?
I need to believe that I am vulnerable or I have coronavirus. Then the expected behaviour is that I need to adhere to the guidelines
If so many government and private laboratories are testing, why are we testing only 2,000 samples a day?
We haven’t refused any case, we continue to offer these tests.
Day-wise increase in the last few days has been big? What do you attribute that to? Is that because of more testing?
It is not only testing.
Is it because of aggressive testing?
Very much.
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