COVID-19 Patient dies after testing negative!
Probably there are more than hundreds of patients dying after getting COVID-19 test negative.
- Merely only a few cases got re-tested during an autopsy for reconfirmation of death. The cause of their death was due to viral pneumonia-like conditions. And these few re-conducted DNA tests from the dead are now positive raising high suspicion.
- Are the test results showing false negative?
Probably Yes, a 60-year-old Pune woman’s death raises doubts over test results who got treated at Naidu Hospital, Pune and was discharged on April 1st. However, where her samples were taken after her death 3 days later at Sasson Hospital, they came Positive. “It might be possible that the disease was under incubation or she was having a lesser viral load when tested," Pune collector Naval Kishore Ram said.
What are rapid test kits? Are they showing up to 50% false-negative results?
-Rapid test kits are those that give results within 5 minutes to 2h of time, used for the preliminary screening test and it is not a confirmatory test.
-According to Uk scientists, These Rapid testing kits which are considered to be a game-changer can actually be more fatal by giving wrong results up to 50% which ultimately affect the individual’s health as his condition shall be neglected by health workers as he tested negative, putting risk to the individual and several others in the community.
For example, a 17-year-old teenage boy in South Korea got admitted with pneumonia-like symptoms. As his rapid test result came negative several times, his condition was undetermined which led to his death. Ironically his DNA tests came positive which raises many questions on the efficiency of rapid test kits.
Possibility of reactivation of virus?
51 south Koreans get reinfected with COVID-19 on April 8th, 2020 after they get fully recovered, reported by WION news. Scientists hypothesis the virus reactivation within the infected body.
One of the theories is when the patient gets treated, his virus load is less causing negative COVID-19 results. Later on, this small quantity of virus shall multiply and get reinfected. This theory can be backed up by researchers as there was no travel history found among these individuals and on the contrary these people were at home after getting discharged.
Why Antibody theory is not valid for COVID-19?
The assumption is that COVID-19 recovered individuals who have recovered shall develop immunity and can resume a normal life. But on the contrary, this theory works best for most pathogens but not for viruses as they mutate frequently and for coronavirus, the mutation rates are very high. So, this patient will have a high chance of reinfection as his antibodies will not protect against the mutated virus and his immune system shall be in a precarious state as he would be still recovering from a recent infection.
What is the probability of reinfection?
A 14% reinfection rate for COVID-19 is detected in Wuhan patients according to Caixin, Beijing, China-based media group. They reported an article with proof of reinfection from the recovered patients and suspected more to be found.4 Other Coronaviruses including MERS, SARS-CoV2 might have a predicted 30% possibility of reinfection. Yes, these researchers conclude that the virus gets reactivated after getting treated in about 30% of the total recovered cases.
How to prevent reinfection of Coronavirus?
First, the chest X-Ray of the COVID-19 patient should be clear at the time of discharge with no signs of Pneumonia, ARDS, and Fibrosis.
Second, multiple consecutive samples taken with a 24h time difference needs to be negative, at least 3 negative tests.
Note that DNA testing and other tests with a minimum 99% accuracy should be used for testing.
Do not use rapid testing kits as they end up showing false negative in low viral load patients getting treatment.
Do not use rapid testing kits as they end up showing false negative in low viral load patients getting treatment.
When will this pandemic end and what to do until then?
This pandemic eventually ends when new cases reduce to zero and all the currently active cases are fully treated.
What are the available options until then,
First - to impose a strict countrywide lockdown by the government to stop the foreign and domestic spread of the virus and slowly granting area access after there is a decrease in disease load.
Second - A vaccine is the best option to finally stop it.
Yes, it usually takes 10 to 15 years for a vaccine to normally develop but due to the pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccine might take only 18 months more to be available for a common man. Its all due to the collaborative efforts of many organizations and giving full government help and support.
A lot of information is not available on novel coronavirus and more research needs to take place in reaching conclusion. I suggest all health workers consult every respiratory case seriously and be highly precautions of not getting infected. Use proper sanitization measures like N95 masks, Sanitisers, and other precautions according to WHO.
“Prevention is better than cure”
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Most people who receive COVID-19 recover from it. Dhyam has symptoms. Early medical attention should be sought if there is fever and difficulty in breathing.
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