Testing
Testing News
Explained: How Long COVID-19 affects children
The researchers found that at time of testing, health issues were more common in children and young people who had tested positive for coronavirus compared to those who tested negative, as well as six months and 12 months post PCR test
North Korea: No COVID-19 cases reported for first time since outbreak
According to experts, North Korea has one of the world's worst healthcare systems, with poorly-equipped hospitals, few intensive care units, and no mass testing ability
Maharashtra health department asks district, civic authorities to increase COVID-19 testing as cases rise
The state has seen a sharp spike in cases over the last week, with 1 June reporting 1,081 cases, the highest since 24 February
'Sniffer dogs are as effective as PCR tests in detecting COVID-19'
In one study, the dogs detected COVID with a sensitivity of 92 per cent and a specificity of 91 per cent and in another study the dogs matched 98 per cent of the PCR results and they correctly identified the swabs as negative in 99 per cent samples
COVID-19 death toll rises in China as Beijing warns of 'grim' situation with rising infections
China has been struggling to stamp out its worst COVID-19 outbreak in two years with a playbook of harsh lockdowns and mass testing as it sticks to a strict zero-Covid policy
How do I know if I have a cold, the flu or COVID-19?: here's what experts say
With many similar symptoms caused by the three virus types, testing remains the best option to determine which one you may have
Centre issues revised guidelines for international passengers; quarantine, testing relaxation for fully vaccinated people
If partially or not vaccinated, the travellers need to undertake measures which include submission of sample for post-arrival COVID-19 test at the point of arrival and mandatory quarantine
How do you effectively use over-the-counter rapid antigen tests that can help slow the spread of COVID-19?
A viral load that is too low to be detected by rapid antigen tests is almost surely too low to be transmissible. But it’s important not to let your guard down completely.
To defeat pandemic, there's no alternative to public health measures, COVID-19 norms, mass vaccination: Here's why
COVID-19 latest news: It seems very likely that COVID is here to stay but the number of waves and the peak of the waves that we see in the future really depend on us
An Oral History of the COVID-19 Crisis: 'An uncharted territory of travelling through an unperceived threat'
This account is part of Firstpost’s Oral History Project of the COVID-19 Crisis in India. The Oral History Project aims to be an ongoing compendium of individual experiences of the pandemic, with a focus on one significant day in our respondents’ lives during this time.
Scientists are working to spot new viruses before they can spread, cause future pandemics
The human immune system keeps a record of pathogens it has met before, in the form of antibodies that fight against them and then stick around for life.
Important to conduct more Coronavirus tests even if it is just using standard rapid test
The CDC’s calculations suggest that it is extremely difficult to detect any live virus in a sample above a threshold of 33 cycles.
Indian scientists recommend testing asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, say viral load higher in them
Published in the medRxiv preprint repository, the yet-to-be peer reviewed study analysed whole genome sequence data of virus samples from 210 patients in and around Hyderabad in Telangana
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan believes India can get COVID-19 spread under control by Diwali
He said that the country is conducting about one million tests per day which is way ahead of the target.
CDC says people without COVID-19 symptoms do not need to be tested
At a time when experts have come forward to encourage more widespread testing, the CDC’s update appears counterintuitive and “very strange.”
All those diagnosed with TB should get tested for COVID-19 says health ministry
Tuberculosis and COVID-19 are infectious diseases, which primarily attack the lungs and present with similar symptoms of cough, fever and difficulty in breathing.
India is using cheaper, less accurate Coronavirus tests to boost its testing capacity, experts are worried
Experts warn that Rapids and lab tests vary in accuracy and need to be interpreted separately to properly assess the spread of infection.
India's confirmed Coronavirus cases have crossed three million milestone: Health ministry
Delhi's authorities said an antibody study in the megacity suggested more than a quarter of the capital's population had contracted coronavirus.
Russia's Sputnik V: Germany, India, US, even fellow Russians skeptical of COVID-19 vaccine
The director of AIIMS Delhi said 'If Russia’s vaccine is successful, then we will have to see critically whether it is safe and effective.'
Fear of being ostracised push COVID-19 infected people to rely on peer advice, borrowed prescription
Doctors insist that there is no drug for COVID cure as yet, and individuals were being treated on a case-to-case basis.