No protocol followed in random home testing!

Kumaran P | NT

Bengaluru: With many citizens in Bengaluru suffering due to cough or fever, citizens are resorting to self-testing kits which have become a casual use kit that is not being taken seriously, say experts. Also citizens do not inform civic authorities or their contacts about the test results after they test at home.

A senior official from the health department said, “Self-testing kits are allowed and there is a protocol which people have to follow. They have to register and update the status of their results but it is not happening. We are seeing many residents who are scared to share their report and they hide data. On one hand we are seeing how self-testing has made it easy for people, but on the other hand this has led to people hiding results.”

Sources also said that there are people selling testing kits, especially Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) testing kits to people, also there are people who come home for testing citizens and they do not reveal test results of patients.

“This is also the reason why cases in Bengaluru are rising. Of course, the virus itself is spreading too fast, but on the other hand, people are spreading the virus by going everywhere even if they are Covid positive. This is causing a lot of issues, we are coming to know of these loopholes when some people who are not satisfied with RAT positive, go for the RT-PCR testing to the laboratories, that is when we realise these people have done a RAT test already.”

Neighbours are scared when families are showing symptoms of Covid. A resident of Magadi Road said, “We were worried to know our neighbours are having symptoms of Covid as every person in their house is sick. But they are going out. When we asked them, they said they have selftested and are negative. We don’t know if they are negative as people do not reveal results.”

A senior doctor, on condition of anonymity, said, “Many patients come to my clinic after testing positive for Covid on their RAT testing kits. We are surprised how they are walking up to the clinic and only when I start talking to them and understand the diagnosis they say they are positive for RAT.”

“Usually, if an individual is RAT positive then it is most likely positive for the RT-PCR test as well. When RAT is negative and people are having symptoms, then they have to go for the golden Covid test which is RT-PCR,” he added.