Lateral flow tests, comprising rapid-antigen and home-antigen tests, can diagnose COVID-19 between the third and the eighth day after exposure to the virus, while the RT-PCR test can detect the virus for up to 20 days, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director-General Dr Balram Bhargava said on Wednesday, 12 January.
"It takes time for the virus to grow in your system and that is known as the latent period...That is why the discharge policy and home isolation policy are focusing on the seven-day period," Dr Bhargava stated.
He added that on the first day of the virus entering one's body, all tests would show a negative result.
Speaking on the infectious period of the RT-PCR test, he explained that the results would continue to detect the infection after the eighth day since certain RNA particles, which are non-infective, would resume shedding and continue to cause test results to be positive, news agency PTI reported.
In light of the spread of Omicron, the ICMR official said that lateral flow tests were the backbone of effective testing.
The central agency, reiterating the guidelines, stressed the importance of a 7-day home quarantine period for all contacts of any COVID-positive patient and added that they should continue to wear a mask.
'Omicron is Not a Common Cold'
Head of the COVID Task Force in the country, Dr VK Paul, underlined that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was not a 'common cold', dispelling a misconception that has come to the fore.
Dr Paul stated:
"Omicron is not a common cold. We are seeing this misconception spreading; it's our responsibility to slow it down. Let's mask up and get vaccinated, whoever is due."Dr VK Paul
"It's a fact that vaccines are helpful to an extent. Vaccination is a critical pillar of our COVID response," he added.
This statement came a day after a top epidemiologist at ICMR, Jayaprakash Muliyil, underplayed the virus in order to tackle the pandemic with a fresh lens.
Muliyil had said, "The consequence of a viral infection now is just like a cold. We have to recognise that we have been chasing a particular kind of objective so far."
(With inputs from NDTV and PTI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)