E-Paper
Kalyan man tests negative for Covid-19 a day after he was tested positive
Kalyan: A 26-year-old man from Kalyan, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday after taking a rapid antigen test at Rukminibai Hospital, was tested negative
Kalyan: A 26-year-old man from Kalyan, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday after taking a rapid antigen test at Rukminibai Hospital, was tested negative after he underwent a swab test the next day at a private lab, raising doubts over testing at civic hospitals.
“I was surprised when I got a negative report, a day after my antigen test came positive at Rukminibai Hospital. As citizens don’t understand medical terms, there needs to be better transparency in the reports. Now I don’t know which report should I believe in,” the man said.
Officials and experts claimed that the error may have occurred owing to the viral mutations in an individual’s body.
Dr Pratibha Panpatil, health officer, Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), said, “The results can vary depending on the viral load in the body, especially if the testing is done on different days.”
The man was asymptomatic and asked to be quarantined at home after his first result came positive.
Prashant Patil, secretary, Indian Medical Association’s (IMA)) Kalyan chapter, said that the viral load of a person with good immunity can come down within 24 to 48 hours. “This must have happened with the Kalyan resident oo. If his antigen test has come positive, the virus exists in the patient and he should follow strict isolation norms. There are various factors such as clinical acumen, CT scan of lungs and RT-PCR ‘reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction’ tests that together help in diagnosing if a patient is positive.”
The Kalyan resident said he developed weakness and so approached the antigen testing centre at Kalyan’s Rukminibai Hospital for a test.
“A day after I went into isolation, I felt that I need to cross-check the test report and so I visited a private laboratory in the vicinity to get myself tested. The next day, my report came negative, leaving me baffled,” he added.
Meanwhile, KDMC recorded 268 Covid-19 positive cases and nine deaths on Tuesday, taking the total number of cases to 16,602 and deaths to 264. The twin city recorded the lowest number of positive cases on Tuesday since July 12, when it had the highest day spike of 661 cases.
KDMC commissioner has issued directives to set-up fever clinics in every Covid-19 hospital, where citizens who develop symptoms can get antigen tests done.
