Guideline tweak can lead to spike in cases

How is the novel coronavirus Covid-19 spreading in the community? The case of a California man who was infected by Covid19 ‘unknown origin’ shows that the person had a travel history to China and did not come in contact with anyone infected. The patient had persistent cough. He tested negative for swine flu or H1N1.

There was insistence on the part of the patient that he be tested for Covid-19. The tests were carried out and it returned positive for the coronavirus. This means that the source of infection is unknown and the virus is spreading in the community. This is now changing the definition of testing for Covid-19 which is travel history to China or contact with those who came from China.

Experts argue that the spread in other countries shows that the virus is adapting to the environment and genetic material of humans. Dr Subbakar Kandi, senior pulmonologist explained, “Like we have studied in swine flu, the adaption process of

H1N1 virus helped it to survive in the environment in India. Covid-19 is copying the genetic material of humans in different parts of the world. It is then spreading across which means that it is surviving in different human bodies and also adapting to it.”

The ‘unknown origin’ infection in California is being seen as a case where the patterns have changed.

The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, US, has now stated that those cases of pneumonia which have tested negative for H1N1 (swine flu) must be tested for Covid-19.

The criteria is fever with severe acute lower respiratory illness requiring hospitalisation and without alternative explanatory diagnosis and with no identified source of exposure. This category of patients are ‘all at risk patients and infected with possible corona virus

Covid-19,” the CDC stated. This according to experts will widen the testing criteria and can lead to tremendous spike in the number of cases.