Residents of Region One are continuing to question the reliability of the Ministry of Public Health’s testing protocols after two persons were revealed to be positive almost two weeks after being tested for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
One of the patients, a 69-year-old man, told Sunday Stabroek yesterday that he was tested on June 21st along with several teachers. At that time, he said, he had a persistent cough and because of that, he was told that he would have to be tested.
Over the next two to three days, he stated, the teachers received their results and were placed in isolation due to them being positive. However, he never received a word from the health authorities and continued to wait for his results regardless.
In the meantime, he said, he decided to self-isolate and concocted his own medicine to get rid of the cough. He said that while the cough has “tremendously” subsided, his throat still itches at times. He added that he assumed that since he didn’t receive his results meant that he didn’t have the disease. Regardless, he never left his home.
However, yesterday morning, the man related, he was very shocked when he saw the bus that collects COVID-19 patients in front of his home. He said when he approached the bus, health officials told him that officials from the hospital sent them to collect him because he was positive. The man said that he asked why he was receiving his results 13 days after he was tested but he dint receive a response but they insisted that he get in the bus. At that time, he said, he was not prepared and told them so and as a result they told him that they were going to collect him later that afternoon.
“I couldn’t believe it so my daughter called a health official in Mabaruma and she was told that they receive the test result only last night [Friday night] and only then they knew that I was positive. So I want to know what nonsense they are doing and why they are taking so long. Is it because I am a random person? They take this for granted and it’s only by chance I pick it up and only now they are telling me that I am positive? What happen with all the days?” he asked before adding that one of his friends told him they are still waiting for their results after being tested more than a week ago.
Now, he says he is fearful that he has infected his wife and sons.
Another person related a similar story and added that because she didn’t receive her results, she too assumed that she was negative and has placed her family at risk. She also stated that she never got a call informing her of her result and was surprised when the bus showed up at her home and the driver demanding her to get into the bus because she has to be isolated.
The duo are wondering if they will be tested today or Monday since today will mark two weeks since they were both tested.
Also speaking to this newspaper was a COVID-19 positive woman, who complained that she was re-tested and was annoyed that she will have to wait for some time before she gets her results.
She also voiced her frustration over the fact that she hasn’t seen any of her test results. She said that while the results take a long time to come back, you don’t ever see them. Instead, the results are related via phone call and she said that that is not enough. “You get call but I feel like they should give you your result and I don’t think anybody in here saw their result,” she said.
In addition, she mentioned that she hasn’t had any symptoms since testing positive so she is hopeful that she will be able to go home soon.
Meanwhile, according to the Deputy Regional Chairman Sarah Browne, people living in the Moruca sub-district have been approaching her and asking her if the disease is real because of the way health officials have been handling the situation in the region. She said people have been complaining about a number of discrepancies when it comes to COVID-19 test results.
“There are persons who never tested and they say they are getting calls from the Ministry or Health department telling them that they are negative even when they have never been tested and these incidents keep happening to different persons and is causing them to believe that something is definitely amiss in terms of COVID and as a result they are doubting that it is real, which could be devastating to the community if persons continue to doubt the existence of the virus. Listening to them, you can really believe them because of what is happening but of course we encourage them to follow all the protocols and tell them that the threat is real,” Browne told this newspaper.
She said to date there are many persons in the village who still do not believe that the COVID-19 threat is real but listening to their stories, she said, they are hardly to blame. Browne added that such issues need to be addressed immediately because if someone believes that the disease is fictitious that person is not going to adhere to precautionary measures. Further, she said, if that person is unknowingly infected, he/she can infect many others and that could have a very devastating impact on the region.
In addition Browne stated many persons are currently wondering why two persons who were tested two weeks ago received their results yesterday. She said that one of the person is an elderly man and if he hadn’t taken his own initiative to treat himself, he probably would’ve died before receiving his results. “More needs to done in terms of analyzing tests and releasing results because whatever system they have in place in region one is unreliable,” she said.
Region one has recorded a total of 81 cases of COVID-19 as of yesterday.
