Delayed reports turning Covid cases critical: Docs

KOLKATA: Delay in getting RT-PCR reports was leading to late hospitalisation of patients resulting in complications, said the doctors on Friday. "The hospitals often demand Covid positive certificate before they start treating Covid patients. The patient's health condition often turns critical before they get the report. People can develop respiratory distress if they are not treated at the initial level," Dr G Mukherjee, a senior pathologist said.

Earlier on Thursday, the state Health department had issued a notification asking the hospitals to treat patients who have severe respiratory distress. There is no need for the patients to produce Covid positive certificate for availing treatment if their health condition is serious. "No patient can be referred without stabilising and arranging bed in the hospital referred," the circular stated.

Sources in the Health department said many government and private labs were also not being optimally used. Top hospitals like SSKM, School of Tropical Medicine, RG Kar Medical College and Hospital are capable of testing around 2,000 samples each but around 1,000 to 1,400 tests are being conducted daily by each of these facilities. Private labs like Dr Lal-Path Lab are conducting around 3,000-4,000 tests a day while Suraksha Diagnostics is testing 1,500-2,000 samples daily.

A 49-year-old man from Sodepur in North 24-Parganas had undergone a test from a private diagnostic center, but had to wait for around a week to receive the report. "A delay in getting a report may turn mild cases into serious ones. This can eventually lead to hospitalisation of the patients," a senior doctor from a government hospital in the city said.

In another development, two persons were arrested from Howrah, who were allegedly involved in issuing fake Covid reports to the people. They were the employees of a private laboratory in the Golabari area. They were allegedly issuing fake reports to the people against huge money.