The researchers say that apart from ILI and SARI cases, only those suspected to have had contact with positive cases were tested, so the lack of documented exposure history in these 44 per cent suggests large-scale poor record-keeping. The researchers said the SARI and ILI cases likely reflect the silent spread of the virus across the patients’ communities, causing infections in people without known contact with positive cases. The much larger proportion of coronavirus-positive patients without documented exposure history is surprising but can be explained as shoddy record-keeping, health researchers said. The ICMR study has found that 17,759 patients were not placed in any of these categories. “It is likely that some of these individuals did not fit into any of the seven categories listed.”The study analysed the profile of positive cases recorded up to April 30.

Source: The Telegraph May 30, 2020 23:03 UTC