Covid stigma: Residents shun RT-PCR, antigen tests; go for X-ray, CT scan

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 23

The social stigma attached with Covid is forcing people to conceal their health status as, instead of going for a RT-PCR or Rapid test, many are getting chest X-Ray and CT scans done to detect the infection.

While physicians can detect Covid infection with the help of an X-ray and CT scan report, RT-PCR and rapid tests are standard tests for detection of of Covid.

“Getting a positive report of a RT-PCR or rapid test means neighbours would come to know of your health sooner or later. It would be either due to visit of a health team or a health employee passing this information to his relatives in your area,” said Jagjit Singh, whose sister had tested positive earlier. Another resident said: “A street in our locality was referred to as ‘Corona wali gali’ after a family tested positive. When I test positive, the last thing I would wish to hear is somebody telling me that I had infected him or his family.” He added that lack of awareness and fear has resulted in people boycotting Covid patients, instead of extending help to them.

The administration had earlier asked all diagnostic labs to report details of patients with Covid-19 symptoms coming for scans as X-ray and others. “Such patients usually exhibit mild symptoms but if they do not follow proper isolation guidelines, they can infect others,” said a health department official, adding that RT-PCR and rapid tests were being done free of cost at government hospitals.

6 deaths, 223 cases in district

• With six more deaths from Covid reported in the district on Wednesday, the toll reached 328. The district also reported 223 new cases, taking the total count to 8,913. The district has a total of 1,777 active cases. With 242 patients recovering in the past 24-hours, the total count of recoveries has reached 6,808.
• The deceased have been identified as Gurmeet Singh (55), a resident of New Golden Avenue in the Jaura Fatak area; Surinder Kaur (53), a resident of Vikas Nagar (Chheharta); Mukhtiar Singh (58), a resident of Chichha village; Sukhdev Raj (65), a resident of Majitha; Parvati (65), a resident of Sathiala village; and Amrik Singh (60), a resident of Sultanwind Road locality.