Coronavirus Outbreak: Symptoms, Precautions, Screening Centres and Helplines

Find out about the symptoms, precautions, screening centres and government helplines for Coronavirus and stay safe. Find a complete list of testing centres India wide here.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. With 110 positive cases and three casualties at the time of writing, India is trying hard to fight the virus. Older adults have been found to be more susceptible to the coronavirus and keeping that in mind, HelpAge India has come up with a list of necessary precautions that can enable senior citizens to remain safe and healthy.

Also, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the government health departments have put out a list of hospitals where you can go and get yourself tested in case you experience any of these symptoms: Fever, tiredness, dry cough, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, aches and pains and diarrhoea.

Silver Talkies has put useful information together along with the government helplines available where you can report issues related to Coronavirus and seek help. Find out more below.

Stay sanitised

Precautions for senior citizens against Coronavirus

1) Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or alcohol-based sanitiser

2) Maintain at least one metre (three feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

3) Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your bent elbow when you cough or sneeze.

4)Throw the used tissue into a closed dustbin immediately.

5) Avoid close contact with anyone if you have a cough or fever.

6) Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.

7) Avoid gatherings with a large number of people.

8) Do not spit in public

( Information courtesy: HelpAge India) 

Where can you get tested?

The health government has pointed out 64 centres across the country for Coronavirus testing. As of now, no private hospitals have the authority to conduct Coronavirus screening. Only the following government hospitals across the various states can conduct Coronavirus screening for you.

Andhra Pradesh

1) Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati

2) Rangaraya Medical College, Kakinada

3) Siddhartha Medical College, Vijayawada

4) GMC, Anantapur, AP

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

5) Regional Medical Research Centre, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar

Assam

6) Gauhati Medical College, Guwahati

7) Regional Medical Research Center, Dibrugarh

8) Silchar Medical College, Silchar

9) Jorhat Medical College, Jorhat

Bihar

10) Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna

Chandigarh

11) Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh

Chattisgarh

12) All India Institute Medical Sciences, Raipur

Delhi-NCT

13) All India Institute Medical Sciences, Delhi

Gujarat

14) BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad

15) MP Shah Government Medical College, Jamnagar

Haryana

16) Pt. BD Sharma, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana

17) BPS Government Medical College, Sonipat

Himachal Pradesh

18) Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

19) Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Kangra, Tanda, HP

Jammu and Kashmir

20) Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar

21) Government Medical College, Jammu

22) Government Medical College, Srinagar

Jharkhand

23) MGM Medical College, Jamshedpur

Karnataka

24) Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, Bangalore

25) National Institute of Virology, Field Unit, Bangalore

26) Mysore Medical College and Research Institute, Mysore

27) Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan

28) Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences, Shivamogga

29) Wenlock District Hospital, Mangalore

Kerala

30) National Institute of Virology, Field Unit, Kerala

31) Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

32) Government Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerala

33) Government Medical College, Thrissur

Madhya Pradesh

34) All India Institute Medical Sciences, Bhopal

35) National Institute of Research in Tribal Health, Jabalpur

Meghalaya

36) NEIGRI of Health and Medical Sciences, Shillong, Meghalaya

Maharashtra

37) Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Nagpur

38) Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Mumbai

39) National Institute of Virology, Mumbai Unit

Manipur

40) JN Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, Imphal-East, Manipur

41) Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal

Odisha

42) Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneshwar

Puducherry

43) Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry

Punjab

44) Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab

45) Government Medical College, Amritsar

Rajasthan

46) Sawai Man Singh, Jaipur

47) Jhalawar Medical College, Jhalawar, Rajasthan

48) Dr SN Medical College, Jodhpur

49) RNT Medical College, Udaipur

50) SP Medical College, Bikaner, Rajasthan

Tamil Nadu

51) King’s Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research, Chennai

52) Government Medical College, Theni

53) Tirunelveli Medical College, Tirunelveli

54) Government Medical College, Thiruvarur

Tripura

55) Government Medical College, Agartala

Telangana

56) Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad

57) Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad

Uttar Pradesh

58) King’s George Medical University, Lucknow

59) Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

60) Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh

Uttarakhand

61) Government Medical College, Haldwani

West Bengal

62) National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata

63) IPGMER, Kolkata

Updated centre in Delhi

64) National Centre of Disease Control, New Delhi

(Information courtesy: https://icmr.nic.in/node/39071)

Wash your hands

When to get tested for COVID-19?

The Health Department, Government of India has specified when you need to get a Coronavirus screening done.

Please remember that you are NOT required to get tested for COVID-19 if you do not have symptoms like cough, fever or difficulty in breathing.

If you have any of the above symptoms and have travelled to any of the COVID-19 affected countries including Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain, Germany, UAE, etc or you are in contact of a laboratory-confirmed positive case, immediately call the State Helpline Number or Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India’s 24×7 helpline 011-2397 8046.

For Karnataka, the State Helpline Number is 104.

Arogya Sahayavani, phone number: 080- 22208541/ 22374658, Email address:ssuidspbangalore@gmail.com.

For Maharashtra, the State Helpline Number is 020- 26127394, 104, 1123978046 or send Email to ncov2019@gmail.com.

The helpline service will note down your contact details and contact you with the testing protocols of COVID-19.

If you qualify as a case for testing as per the protocol, you will be tested at a Government approved lab only.