In a major decision taken by the Central Government, testing of COVID-19 can now be done on the prescription of any registered practitioner and not limited to only a government doctor, an official release stated on Thursday by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The total number of people being tested for COVID-19 tests in the country will soon touch one crore.

The Centre has strongly advised States/UTs to take immediate steps to facilitate testing at the earliest by enabling all qualified medical practitioners, including private practitioners, to prescribe COVID test to any individual fulfilling the criteria for testing as per ICMR guidelines.

Reiterating that 'Test-Track-Treat' is the key strategy for early detection and containment of the outbreak, the Centre has advised States/ UTs to take all possible steps to ensure full capacity utilization of all COVID-19 testing laboratories in the State/ UT.

Centre has also asked States/UTs are to facilitate testing in a big way by adoption of 'campaign mode' by organizing testing camps, using mobile vans etc. This shall effectively take COVID-19 tests to the people's doorsteps in high incidence areas to collect samples of all symptomatic individuals as well as their contacts.

ICMR has strongly recommended that laboratories should be free to test any individual in accordance to the ICMR Guidelines and State authorities must not restrict an individual from getting tested, as early testing will help in containing the virus and saving lives.

The government of India has urged States to ramp up testing in a big way by using Rapid Antigen Point-of-Care tests in addition to RT-PCR, which is the gold standard for diagnosis of COVlD-19. The Rapid Antigen test is quick, simple, safe, and can be used in containment zones as well as hospitals, as per criteria specified by ICMR for testing. ICMR is validating more such kits are to increase the available options to the citizens, the release added.