Srinagar, June 8: Reacting to reports that many people tested negative for COVID-19 at a hospital, a day after they tested positive for the infection at Chest Disease hospital in Srinagar, former J&K chief minister and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed concern over the authenticity of test results.
What happens to those who can’t get tested twice or from different places, he asked.
However, senior doctor Parviz Koul said that he thinks there is an information gap. “The terms like quarntine, asymptomatic, isolation, viral load, carrier etc. are being talked off and interpreted by masses and media without realising the very medical significance of them,” he tweeted.
“As if things weren’t bad enough, we can’t even trust the authenticity of test results. Chest Diseases hospital gives a COVID positive result. A day later SKIMS, Soura gives the same person a negative report. What happens to those who can’t get tested twice or from different places?,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site twitter.
The comment by Omar comes at a time when many people, including a senior journalist, who tested positive for COVID-19 at CD hospital, tested negative at S K Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura.
“And on day 2, CT value could just be above cutoff, though not very significantly different from day 1. It could be correctly reportedly as negative. So possible scientifically, unless both samples were collected simultaneously & sent to 2 labs. In that case a clear lab error,” Dr Koul added.
But, people have reacted sharply about the discrepancy in COVID-19 test results on social media sites, including twitter, with many demanding an inquiry and punishment for the paramedics, responsible.
“The concern is genuine and authenticity of Kovid tests definitely needs to be improved to gain people’s trust!,” read a tweet.
Another twitter user said, “Earlier today I said it is a Scandal to declare whole of Kashmir Red Zone…Worst covid hit Mumbai and Delhi are open for all kinds of Businesses and in Kashmir numbers are very very less and we had this Admin and SKIMS director strutting up as Community transfer. Disgusting.”
“For those who can’t get tested twice or from different places, we can only pray for their good health and well-being. Either the instruments or the operators r not reliable. However, this concern may die out on Twitter walls too,” read another tweet.
