PCR testing: University labs strongly dispel allegations

Three university laboratories which have put their shoulder to the wheel in this national crisis of COVID-19 to support the Health Ministry by performing RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction) were quick to respond to allegations made by medical technologist Ravi Kumudesh.

Mr. Kumudesh alleged that there were issues over a few samples tested by these laboratories.

The Centre for Dengue Research of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Jayewardenepura University said, when contacted by the Sunday Times, that it has been carrying out PCR on samples from patients with dengue from the Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH which is now the National Institute of Infectious Diseases) since 2013.

“We have been providing this data of dengue serotypes to the Epidemiology Unit and the National Dengue Control Programme all these years. Since we have been carrying out PCR for dengue and different viruses in patients admitted to the IDH for 7 years, we thought when the coronavirus emerged, we should help the hospital with COVID-19 diagnostics as well,” the centre stated.

The centre reiterated that the government has invested a lot of funds to develop state-of-the-art laboratories and because of “our expertise, we thought it would be very wrong of us, if we did not help our country, at this moment. Since we have been receiving patient samples from IDH for the past few years on a daily basis, we embarked on COVID-19 diagnostics since February 28”.

“Our laboratory has so far carried out 4,853 PCRs since then. Although initially we only tested patients from IDH, we now provide a service to the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, the Kalutara Hospital, the Homagama Base Hospital, sometimes the Kalubowila Hospital and private hospitals. We have also been involved in testing over 2,000 samples from the community and the Colombo Municipal Council has expressed its appreciation,” the centre said.

The centre added that so far these hospitals or the Health Ministry is yet to inform them of any irregularities in their reports. “Our laboratory has not issued a single positive report during the last 2 weeks. It brings us much satisfaction that we are able to serve our country and contribute in this manner at this time of need. Our team of scientists are extremely happy to be helping Sri Lanka at this moment. Let’s work together and win the fight against COVID-19.”

The Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) stated that according to the allegation by Mr Kumudesh, the fish vendor from Bokundara, Piliyandala was tested at KDU. Even though the sample was collected at the University

Hospital KDU, it was not tested at the KDU labs. “The KDU has a well-experienced team of four academics and three Clinical Microbiologists involved in the testing and among them they have many years of experience with RT-PCR testing. If there is any doubt in a test result, our policy is always to repeat the test,” the KDU added.

Meanwhile, a Colombo University source reiterated that all its labs are quality assured and validated.

Describing in detail the process of testing which starts with the taking of the sample from the patient, its transport to the lab, its preparation, then placement in the machine and running of the machine and finally the analysis of the results, the source said that with the sensitivity of the test being about 60% there could be false positives and false negatives. The danger lies not in having false positives but false negatives as then an infected person may be going around in the community giving the virus to others.

As there was not much time to give a composite response, when asked by the Sunday Times on Friday, the source added that in the light of the allegations being floated around, the university would collate information from all its labs which are working in partnership with trusted foreign collaborators and submit it to the relevant authorities.