Coronavirus: 80% cases asymptomatic, but no need to revise testing criteria, says ICMR

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday said that 80 per cent Covid-19 cases remain asymptomatic, reports India Today.

Addressing a press conference, ICMR chief Dr R Gangakhedkar said, "If 100 people have been infected by novel coronavirus, 80 of them will not exhibit any symptoms or mild symptoms of the disease."

Senior health ministry official Lav Aggarwal told media that around 80 per cent positive Covid-19 cases across the globe are found to asymptomatic or exhibiting mild symptoms.

However, to a question on whether the government should revise the testing criteria to screen the asymptomatic people, the health ministry official said that the current guidelines take the fact into account.

"Our testing criteria is quite detailed it has provisions for testing symptomatic cases as well as people who are highrisk contacts of lab-confirmed cases," Lav Aggarwal said.

He reiterated that the current sampling strategy includes all people with SARI - severe acute respiratory illnesses.

Dr R Gangakhedkar added that people with mild diseases like influenza-like illnesses have also been included in the sampling criteria. "How much further we will have to go with this, we will see with time," Dr Gangakhedkar said.

"Around 15 per cent cases convert into severe cases, which may require oxygen support and five per cent cases convert into critical cases," Lav Aggarwal said.