Bihar: Salary withheld for notifying Covid case without RT-PCR test

Bihar’s health department, in a paradigm shift in reporting of Covid-19 cases, had advised last month to its field officers to reconfirm samples testing positive on the rapid antigen detection (RAD) kit through RT PCR, before notifying them to the state.

A data entry operator was penalised last week for notifying a Covid-19 case to the state headquarters before the sample was reconfirmed through real time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR), a gold standard test for Covid-19.

A medic collects swab sample for Covid testing, in Patna. (HT File)

“Instructions have been issued to withhold the salary of a data entry operator in Madhubani who did not cross-check through RT PCR a sample that tested positive on RAD kit before notifying it to the state,” said a senior health official who did not wish to be named.

“We want a strong message to go across all sections that those violating the government directive will be penalised,” the official said. “We are now reconfirming through RT PCR all samples testing positive on the RAD kit after the state health department recently revised its standard operating procedure (SOP) for testing of Covid-19 samples.”

Bihar’s health department, in a paradigm shift in reporting of Covid-19 cases, had advised last month to its field officers to reconfirm samples testing positive on the rapid antigen detection (RAD) kit through RT PCR, before notifying them to the state.

Earlier, samples of those symptomatic, but testing negative on RAD kit, had to be reconfirmed through RT PCR, while the positive ones were treated as confirmed positive.

Around 70 samples of train passengers that tested positive on RAD kit at the Madhubani railway station in September had turned out to be negative on the RT PCR, prompting the change in testing guidelines in the state.

The new guidelines have been issued to eliminate possibility of false positive result, as new infections had come down in the state, said health officials.

Bihar reported eight new Covid cases on Sunday, taking the total number of cases 726,098 and the death toll to 9,661. The number of active cases in the state was 46. As many as 716,390 patients had been discharged so far, with a case recovery rate of 98.66%.