Won't do indiscriminate testing for Covid-19, strategy is to test only those who show symptoms, said ICMR director general Balram Bhargava on Sunday.

While speaking at a press conference, Bhargava said, "It's important to isolate those who have come from abroad to curb spread of coronavirus."

Only 5% patients affected by Covid-19 require hospitalisation, said the Indian Council of Medical Research director general.

AIIMS building in Haryana's Jhajjar, which has 800 beds, will be used exclusively to treat Covid-19 patients, said Bhargava.

He said pricing was never an issue to get private labs on board for coronavirus testing.

The central government on Saturday recommended that the maximum charge for each COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed ₹4,500.

All private laboratories which have NABL accreditation for real-time PCR SA for RNA virus will be allowed to conduct COVID-19 tests, according to the guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for COVID-19 testing in private laboratories, which were notified by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday night.

The National Task Force recommends that the maximum cost for testing should not exceed ₹4,500. This may include ₹1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional ₹3,000 for confirmation test, the guidelines said.

It's important to isolate those who have come from abroad to curb spread of coronavirus, he added.

"To break the chain of transmission, the easiest method is to isolate the people coming from outside. The virus is not present in the air, it can be transmitted through droplets released," Bhargava said.

"It is essential to understand the ailment. 80% of the people will experience cold-like fever & they will recover. 20% may experience cough, cold, fever & some of them may be needed to be admitted to hospital," he further said.

60 private labs have registered so far to conduct Covid-19 tests, said Bhargava.

States will earmark hospitals to treat exclusively coronavirus-affected patients, said a Union Health Ministry official.

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