Photo/Illutration Shigeru Omi, the vice chairman of the government's panel of experts dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, holds a news conference on May 1 regarding future trends in COVID-19 infections. (Naoyuki Himeno)

The government’s panel of experts on dealing with the COVID-19 crisis will recommend drastically easing the standards on testing for the novel coronavirus to speed up the process and cover more people.

The panel members are mainly targeting conditions that individuals must meet before they can consult health care centers about receiving a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

For example, people likely to develop serious symptoms, such as senior citizens and those with pre-existing conditions, have been told not to call about the PCR test unless they have experienced cold-like symptoms, such as a fever, for two days.

That standard will likely be eliminated.

Another standard requires at least four days of a fever of 37.5 degrees or higher before a consultation about a test can be granted.

The standards were recommended by the panel on Feb. 17 over concerns that if people with mild symptoms sought PCR tests, medical institutions would be overwhelmed, leading to a collapse of the medical care structure. At that time, the policy was to hospitalize all those who tested positive, regardless of the severity of their symptoms.

But there have since been cases in which people with mild symptoms who were told to rest at home ended up dying and testing positive after the fact.

Criticism has also arisen over the long period required before being able to take the PCR test.

Experts are now discussing possible changes in the standards, and sources said the health ministry would announce the new standards once the Golden Week period of national holidays ends on May 6.

Under the proposed new standards, those at risk of developing serious symptoms as well as pregnant women can consult about testing as soon as they develop a fever.

Discussions will also be held on whether the 37.5-degree fever standard should be kept because some individuals have said their normal temperature differs from what the panel considers the average.

Individuals who develop a fever and feel lethargic or have problems breathing can immediately call about taking the PCR test, according to the sources.

Health ministry officials said that when the standards were decided on in February, they felt the need to differentiate between influenza symptoms and those linked to the novel coronavirus. But the standards can change now that the peak flu season has all but ended, the officials said.

They also said that more information is now known about the coronavirus, including the fact that the conditions of some individuals with initial minor symptoms can suddenly worsen in a short period of time.