Coronavirus: Need to ramp up testing abilities, says Shashank Tripathi

Coronavirus in India: Shashank Tripathi, who is working on emerging human viruses especially influenza and arboviruses (Dengue, Zika etc), says that now is the time to learn from experiences in Europe and China, isolate suspected cases on a war footing.

If you detect and treat only severe cases, you will get a skewed picture of mortality, warns Shashank Tripathi, Assistant Professor at Wellcome-Trust India Alliance Intermediate Fellow & Microbiology and Cell Biology Department at Center for Infectious Disease Research, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Tripathi, who is working on emerging human viruses especially influenza and arboviruses (Dengue, Zika etc), tells Jayashree Nandi that now is the time to learn from experiences in Europe and China, isolate suspected cases on a war footing and ramp up testing capacities because the outbreak will not die down.

Does India need more testing to identify community transmission?

I think we are in a better shape than many other countries. Current data from India suggests that mortality rate is less than 3%. Data suggests that community transmission hasn’t happened yet. If it happens, the number of deaths and people approaching hospitals with very severe symptoms will see a significant rise. But we are on the verge of community transmission, so we have to be prepared. South Korea, for example, has a smaller population and is able to run 20,000 tests per day. Italy,meanwhile, has imposed a lockdown. We have to learn from all these experiences and fast-track the quarantine and isolation of suspected patients. We should also ramp up our testing capacities.

How can testing capacities be improved?

We should involve more government research organisations now. The whole burden is on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Institutions such as Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) etc can also be roped in. It’s a larger policy decision, which will help us in pandemic preparedness.

Do you think testing parameters should be revised from travellers and contacts to include people with symptoms?

ICMR should take that call. They said their testing capacity hasn’t been utilized to 100%. It could be because we are still seeing fewer cases. The choice is between testing people with mild symptoms and exhaust our capacities or focusing on those with severe symptoms. It is difficult to differentiate symptoms of mild cases [of the coronavirus] from a common cold. I think we should gradually shift our 100% capacity on testing.

Are there any other reasons why we should test more people other than tracking community transmission?

Yes. If you detect and treat only severe cases, you will get a skewed picture of mortality. Getting a real picture of the mortality is important.

Should the private sector be involved in testing?

Definitely. On that front, I think we are a bit late. But there should be guidelines to curb malpractices like overpricing. They can contribute data on the disease.