Top doctor tests positive for Covid-19
THE top doctor at Lefkoşa’s Emergency (Pandemic) Hospital, where coronavirus patients are treated, announced on Wednesday that he had tested positive for Covid19.
Chief Physician Dr Erol Uçaner revealed via social media that both his rapid antigen test and a PCR test had come back positive.
Dr Uçaner said that he has routine tests every Monday and Friday and that all hospital staff are tested regularly. He said that his treatment had begun.
“The Emergency Hospital system . . . will continue to operate smoothly, as it should, with all my colleagues, but without me,” Dr Uçaner said.
He explained that because of the increase in the number of cases in the TRNC in the last two weeks, he wanted to devote more time to his work at the hospital and so he completed patient examinations at his private clinic last Friday, meaning he had “no contact with his patients after last Friday”. He added that his PCR test result from that day had come back negative.
Dr Uçaner stressed that he had not been to a restaurant, tavern, or similar establishment and had not had any “social contact” with his friends “for the last 10 days” and that he had not been to the gym after last Friday, following claims that he had been in contact with “many people”.
Dr Uçaner also said that a routine PCR test performed on Monday and a rapid antigen test on Tuesday were both negative and that he had “no contact with anyone” over these two days.
He said he developed a “severe headache and began sweating” on Wednesday morning, called the “relevant department and took precautions” before getting tested and isolating himself.
Meanwhile Health Minister Ünal Üstel is self-isolating after his ministry driver tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday. Mr
Üstel said his PCR test result was negative.
“Even though I wasn’t in close contact, I isolated myself because I was in the car,” he said.
Stating that he will be selfisolating at home until tomorrow, Mr Üstel said that he has not had any recent contact with other ministers. In addition, it was reported that “many Health Ministry personnel” had been in contact with the driver.