1) ICMR - Flawed policy in Covid testing. Only tested symptomatic foreign travellers. Did not test non symptomatic foreign travellers. No community testing. Prior to March 20. In April policy was revised (1/5) @mygovindia @wbdhfw @MamataOfficial @abhishekaitc @DrBaidyanathGh1

2) Faulty policy allowed non symptomatic cases to enter & spread COVID in India. Most cases of COVID will be non symptomatic

3) GOI rejected JHU India COVID report. Absence of early warning response and preparedness

4) Faulty RT - PCR kits (2/5)

5) Testing is not only about ordering testing kits. ICMR failed to create medical infrastructure
- Trained staff required.
- Lab infrastructure (bio-containment labs)
- Logistical support
- IT back end. For testing, data upload logistics (3/5)

6) Advanced technology for contact tracing and surveillance - Absent in India. Failure of ICMR. (Ref. Korean CDC)

7) GOI via HLL, hoarded PPE causing a bottleneck- Failure (4/5)

8) Vaccine testing/drug trials - Abject failure of ICMR.

- Dr. Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar - MBBS MD
Senior Clinical Fellow NHS UK
CAV Foundation (5/5)