Kupwara: Listen to the family of an old-and-frail Covid suspect woman from Kupwara and you would be stunned.
Her family has underwent a mental trauma and the victim herself has become prone to virus after being allegedly kept with positive patients at a Srinagar hospital for about a week even after she tested negative during a re-test (conventional test).
The 60-year-old woman from Kupwara town tested positive on July 28, during instant or rapid testing but her sample was sent for cross examination to a Srinagar laboratory the same day and on August 2, she tested negative.
Since July 29, a day after she tested positive during instant testing, the suspect has been kept with Covid positive patients at Chest Disease hospital in Srinagar, her family alleged.
Some chronic positive patients kept with the suspect (woman) have succumbed to virus during past days leaving her family in a shock and increasingly worried about her wellbeing, her son, told Curtian Raiser.
“They told us she tested positive during rapid testing for COVID-19. What is point in keeping her with positive patients, when they don’t consider rapid testing 100 percent reliable,” said, Ishtiyaq Mir, suspect’s son
“They could have kept her in complete isolation till the time conventional test report, which is considered reliable would have come out. She is old and frail and thus prone to virus. The officials have risked her life,” he added.
On August 2, the family recieved a message on the phone ‘she has tested negative’, according to Mir.
The discrepancy (positive & negative), which for this family and for that matter everybody, literally means ‘Life or Death’ has left them shocked.
Discrepancy in Woman’s testing has raised questions over the nature of testing being done in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are confused which, ‘result’ we, should rely on? positive or negative?”
a family member asked.
“She was kept with positive patients for at about a week before the test report was issued. Health officials are fully responsible for risking her life. How can they play with the life of a patient like this,” she added.
The family of suspect claimed that they were asked to purchase medicine for more than 20,000 rupees from the market as it was not available in Kupwara COVID hospital.
“She should now be put in a separate ward as she has tested negative. But we have to say with regret that she is still kept with COVID-19 positive patients,” said Mir, suspect’s son.
Dr. Zia, who oversaw the treatment of woman in Kupwara COVID-19 hospital said, “We treated her as per the instant test report and shifted her to Srinagar hospital as per protocol for specialized treatment. We are short of ventilators here. Also, she was critical.”
Kupwara CMO, Dr. Kousar Amin, told Curtian Raiser,
“I don’t have any information, if she has tested negative during conventional method of testing. She should be treated as a negative case, in case she has,”
Discrepancies in COVID-19 test reports have left many patients devastated. Earlier, a senior journalist tested positive in Srinagar’s Chest disease hospital for the novel virus and tested negative at SKIMS microbiology lab, a day later.
