RT-PCR test result of a deceased person returns positive after TrueNat screening gave a negative result while alive in Medziphema. (File Photo: Representative Image)
Reagent scarcity in Dimapur forces routing of samples to Kohima
Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 24
In a bizarre case, RT-PCR test result of a deceased person returned positive after TrueNat screening gave a negative result while alive. The deceased person was admitted to the CHC, Medziphema on July 19, where his nasal swab sample was collected for screening via TrueNat. It returned negative; unfortunately, he passed away on July 21.
While samples tested negative by TrueNat are regarded as “True Negative,” a sample was collected post-death for RT-PCR test. Three days later, on July 24, the confirmatory test turned out to be positive for COVID-19.
This incident was not officially made public by the district health authority, but a letter written by the Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of CHC, Medziphema to the Chief Medical Officer, Dimapur found its way to social media.
In the letter, dated July 24, the SMO requested the sealing of the CHC and arranging quarantine facility for the staffers and “primary contacts.”
As of filing this report, there was no clear information or directive from the District Task Force with regard to the case. The State Nodal Officer for IDSP said that investigation was on “to establish the link.”
Meanwhile, other official sources informed The Morung Express that as many 36 “primary contacts” have been identified and isolated. It included 20 staffers of the Medziphema CHC, 3 police personnel of Medziphema Police Station, 5 persons from New Chumoükedima and 8 from the Kukidolong area.
Bazar Branch, Dhobinulla, Railway cases
Six days after the SBI Bazar Branch scare, the RT-PCR test results of three samples returned positive. To refresh memory, a senior employee of the branch, who was recently transferred from Dimapur, tested positive for COVID-19 in Guwahati on July 17.
In the contact tracing that followed, as many as 40 samples of the branch employees were screened via TrueNat. Three samples returned positive, which were further sent for confirmatory RT-PCR tests on July 20. All three suspect samples were confirmed positive but it took over three days for the results to arrive.
On July 24, it was informed that samples of two more persons with links to the bank branch tested positive in the TrueNat screening.
In connection to the contact tracing of the case of the 82 year-old man from Dhobinulla, two contacts tested positive and confirmatory RT-PCR test results were being awaited. Again, the RT-PCR test result of the 72 year-old patient from Bokajan, who passed away at Nikos Hospital on July 21, was still pending on July 24.
The confirmatory results of the samples of two railway employees in Dimapur were also awaited. The Morung Express, quoting railway officials, reported on July 21 that 2 “parcel men” had tested positive in the TrueNat screening.
Test backlog
While not officially admitted by the state government, an increasing backlog of tests is being felt in Nagaland. It normally takes, on average, 24 hours for confirmatory test results to return after sample dispatch but over the past 1-2 weeks, the time-period has become extended to as high as 3-4 days. This has been attributed to the recently launched BSL-2 laboratory at the CIHSR, Dimapur running out of reagents. Health department officials disclosed that, beginning July 21, samples collected in Dimapur were being routed to Kohima. On July 24, official sources disclosed that around 50 test kits or reagents were shipped to the BSL-2 laboratory in Dimapur. It could not be ascertained whether the laboratory could operate for the day.
