NOIDA: Late last month, a 39-year-old man living in Sector 150 got himself tested for Covid-19 after developing symptoms. His results returned positive on March 26, as did his wife’s, after which they were shifted to isolation wards, first at Child PGI and then at Sharda hospital.
In the days that followed, both the patients slowly recovered. But while the woman was discharged on April 16, her husband continues to be kept in isolation. His medication was stopped two weeks ago, but he is waiting for a second negative Covid report in order to be released.
“My husband’s sample was taken on April 19, which we were told is now unusable. After this, four more samples have been taken, but the first of the reports has come only on Wednesday. His X-ray is clear, other reports are normal, treatment has been stopped, but he has to stay in the hospital with other Covid patients unnecessarily,” said his wife Pooja.
Like the couple, several others who have been cooped up in quarantine facilities with other suspected Covid patients have complained that they have been forced to stay there longer than necessary because of what they describe as an endless wait for their test reports.
A major factor behind seems to be the long waiting time at the two testing centres in the district – Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida and National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) in Sector 62. In many cases, reports have been pending for 8-10 days, sometimes even more.
For Covid doctors, a similar delay
The quarantine cloud hangs over frontline doctors on Covid duty as well. As per protocol, after completing a shift, doctors and other staff from Covid wards must be sent to a quarantine facility for 14 days and tested. However, nine doctors from Sharda hospital, who have been in quarantine at Radisson Blu hotel since April 14, are yet to receive their reports. The doctors’ reports, all negative, came after a wait of 14 days from the day their samples were taken, following which they were released.
In the days that followed, both the patients slowly recovered. But while the woman was discharged on April 16, her husband continues to be kept in isolation. His medication was stopped two weeks ago, but he is waiting for a second negative Covid report in order to be released.
“My husband’s sample was taken on April 19, which we were told is now unusable. After this, four more samples have been taken, but the first of the reports has come only on Wednesday. His X-ray is clear, other reports are normal, treatment has been stopped, but he has to stay in the hospital with other Covid patients unnecessarily,” said his wife Pooja.
Like the couple, several others who have been cooped up in quarantine facilities with other suspected Covid patients have complained that they have been forced to stay there longer than necessary because of what they describe as an endless wait for their test reports.
A major factor behind seems to be the long waiting time at the two testing centres in the district – Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida and National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) in Sector 62. In many cases, reports have been pending for 8-10 days, sometimes even more.
For Covid doctors, a similar delay
The quarantine cloud hangs over frontline doctors on Covid duty as well. As per protocol, after completing a shift, doctors and other staff from Covid wards must be sent to a quarantine facility for 14 days and tested. However, nine doctors from Sharda hospital, who have been in quarantine at Radisson Blu hotel since April 14, are yet to receive their reports. The doctors’ reports, all negative, came after a wait of 14 days from the day their samples were taken, following which they were released.
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