False covid test results leave Bengaluru couple anxious

Bengaluru: The accuracy of Covid-19 tests are raising doubts. Varun Salaria and his wife Karishma went to Abhayahasta Multispeciality Hospital on March 23 to get themselves tested as they came in contact with an infected person.

“I was doubtful when we were asked to fill the form. They charged us Rs 1200 per person. The next day the result came as positive and the hospital put us through a lot of mental trauma since we live with aged parents and have a 20-month-old son,” Salaria said.

The couple was confused when they tested negative on getting the test done in Manipal Hospital where they were charged Rs 2900 per person.

A government teacher reputed by the BBMP visited their house the next day and accused them of hiding their infection as they showed the ‘negative status’. She left their house only when they showed the soft copy of the result.

The couple returned to Abhayahasta hospital the same evening where the hospital assured that they would conduct another test. They are still waiting for the result.

On March 26, two days later, Varun went for a third covid test in the Chinmaya Mission Hospital. They charged him Rs 300 for doctor consultation and Rs 700 for the test. The test result was negative which left the couple in a dilemma.

After experiencing such bitter experiences, Varun does not trust hospitals and the government. The false-positive report has given them a lot of stress. He also adds that it is harmful if a negative report is handed to a person who is infected. The family now demands to know if the hospitals are well equipped.

Dr Ashok Sherkane, chairman of Abhayahasta said, “Between the 7th and 10th day, the viral load is more. If the person misses getting tested in this period, there is a rare possibility that the virus was not demeaned got negative in other tests. In this case, the person should be treated as positive and maintain distance from the elderly at home.”

He said that Varun and his wife’s report has been recorded in the machine and there is no doubt. A CT scan is done to confirm the covid positive case of a person.

Dr CN Manjunath, director of Jayadeva Institute gave the opinion that either the positive report may have been put against wrong name or the lab technician uploaded the result as positive in lieu of negative.