Coronavirus: Four employees of Ropar Civil Hospital test negative five days after first test came back positive

Tribune News Service
Ropar, May 12

Four employees of Ropar’s civil hospital tested negative for coronavirus—a development that comes two days after district authorities said 13 people from the hospital’s medical staff tested positive and also raises questions on how there could be contradictory results for the same people.

The most recent results came from swab samples sent to a virology laboratory in Patiala. The previous samples, taken for testing on May 6, had been sent to IMTECH, Chandigarh.

Ropar Deputy Commissioner Sonali Giri said among the several reasons for contradictory results could have been breach of standard testing procedure by district health authorities. Usually samples taken multiple times are sent to the same laboratory for testing. She also said the other possible explanation is that there could have been a fall in virus load between the first and the second test.

Samples for the second test were taken five days after the first.

“Higher authorities at the health department have been informed about the violation of standard operating procedure by local officials,” she said.

Among those who tested positive previously was a senior medical officer. The test results had caused some panic among district authorities.