Tuesday, 28 April 2020

Covid-19: A curious case of many positives and a speedy recovery

According to tweets put out by the Press Information Bureau in Maharashtra, of the 171 tested on April 15, 53 tested positive on April 20, 31 have been treated and discharged on April 26
Healthcare workers take a swab sample of a commuter-train worker during a test amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Bogor, West Java province, Indonesia. Photo: Reuters
On April 20, Jayesh Mhatre was a relieved man. Mhatre was one of the 171 Mumbai journalists tested for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on April 15. His friends had heard from the authorities. So he called to check up on his results. “I was told I had tested negative,” he adds. As part of a special drive, Mumbai’s municipal authority tested 171 journalists for Covid-19 who were on field. Of the 171 tested, 53 journalists were told they tested positive on April 20.
The four-day wait has been grueling for most. For some like Joshi, the wait was long enough to falsely assume his reports were negative. “We were told we would be contacted only if the reports are positive. Since we did not hear from them, we thought we were okay. The call came as a shock,” he adds. According to tweets put out by the Press Information Bureau in Maharashtra, of the 171 tested on April 15, 53 tested positive on April 20. Of the 53 tested positive, the tweet said 31 have been treated and discharged on April 26.

A large number of positive cases and later a quick recovery within less than a week have baffled many. Joshi adds almost everyone he saw at the testing centre with him turned out positive in the first test. “Tests can turn negative in seven-eight days. They were all asymptomatic, which means less viral load. Why will the test be faulty or be not done in the right way? These are high standard tests and there is no need to doubt,” said Daksha Shah, deputy director-health department for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, to a query whether there were any concerns related to testing…Read More

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