MBMC chief back on job after 3-day quarantine

Experts say early Covid-19 testing can yield false negatives; asymptomatics are tested after 5-7 days of isolation unless they show symptoms

The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has different yardsticks when it comes to swab testing the public and their own officials for coronavirus. Less than three days after he decided to quarantine himself after coming into contact with a corona-positive person, MBMC chief Dr Vijay Rathod resumed office on Friday, after his swab report was negative on Thursday.

Rathod had quarantined himself at a hotel in Mira Road on Wednesday, after one of his deputies tested positive for the infection.

This is in sharp contrast to the MBMC's own procedure, mandating tests for asymptomatic patients only after 5 to 7 days of quarantine following contact with a positive person or if they show symptoms. Normally, the health department conducts swab tests of contacts only after having quarantined them for not less than five to eight days. Medical experts believe that testing people for Covid19 too early in the course of infection may result in a false negative diagnosis, even though they may eventually test positive for the virus. However a CT scan or chest X-ray after a week verifies the presence or absence of the virus.

Of the 15,045 swab tests conducted in the twin cities, 9,321 persons tested negative and 4,993 positive. It has been alleged that reports are not being generated on time, which not only leads to delay in treatment - especially the kin or close contacts of positive patients, but also enhances the risk of spread for lack of monitoring by the MBMC. This is evident from the fact that as many as 731 swab test reports were pending till Thursday. Early testing produces a surprisingly high rate of false negatives that can incorrectly show a person is not infected, sources said.