Kolkata: In a bizzare case that defies logic, four people from West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district have reportedly ‘tested’ positive for coronavirus without ever undergoing a COVID-19 test. The incident has come to light in Belon village under Goalpokhor-2 block and has sent health officials in a spin.
August 11, the district health department had organized mass RT-PCR testing of random samples in the area to ascertain if community transmission had set in the area. Accordingly, the village local panchayat prepared a list of 80 persons whose samples were to be collcted for testing.
Out of the total 80 people selected for the sample test, swabs of 73 people were taken for the COVID test. However, when test reports arrived August 14, four persons out of the seven who did not give any swab sample for the test were mentioned as ‘Covid positive’ in a matter of great bewilderment.
“Four people who did not undergo any test have been shown Covid positive. All of them are residents of Chapor. We have received their complaints. I think the tests weren’t conducted properly. There were irregularities and people have been marked positive randomly,” alleged Tauf Alam, a member of the local panchayat.
When reached out, District Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Rabindranath Pradhan said, “Probe is underway, we are looking into the matter.”
Tuesday, West Bengal reported its highest single-day surge in COVID-19 cases with 3,175 new cases pushing the state’s tally to 1,22,753 cases. The death toll from coronavirus in West Bengal has now reached at 2,528 with 55 more fatalities.
PNN