HYDERABAD: Three students who went for a Covid-19 test got a negative report without even getting it done in Jogulamba Gadwal district.
The group of students had gone to the government hospital in Gadwal on February 2 and duly filled in the forms. After waiting for sometime, they were told to come back on Wednesday as there were no
test kits available. The students left the hospital without giving their swab samples for testing.
However, the students from Kondapalli village received a preliminary test report on their mobile phones stating that they had tested negative for Covid-19.
The rapid antigen test report, described as ‘interim test report’, was sent to a 17-yer-old student. In the specimen type column, it was mentioned that a nasopharyngeal swab was taken for testing. Another ‘system generated report’ also pertained to a 17-year-old student.
District collector Shruti Ojha said an enquiry has been ordered. “We have initiated an enquiry to check if the reports were sent without a test being conducted. We will take stringent action against those responsible for it if it is true,” the collector said. Asked if there was a dearth of testing kits, the collector said there has never been a shortage of kits in the district.
On Tuesday, nearly 200 students — both from college and schools — came to the hospital for the test. “Since the three students did not want to wait for their turn, they left the hospital,” an official said.
“There was an error by a data entry operator due to which the reports were generated,” the official said, adding that further enquiry was on to identify who was accountable for the lapse.