Covid Test In Khulna: Of long wait and backlog

For more than two weeks, Champa Raptan and her husband Uttom Mondol from Khulna's Dacope upazila have been waiting anxiously for their coronavirus test results.

The couple had given their samples at Khulna Sadar Hospital on June 23, after developing Covid-19 symptoms.

Since then, Champa called Khulna Sadar Hospital's resident medical officer, as well as the district's civil surgeon a couple of times, but neither of them could give her any information about the test result.

Like Champa, hundreds of people in Khulna district are waiting for their coronavirus test results.

On Tuesday, around 3,000 samples were waiting to be tested RT-PCR lab at the microbiology department of Khulna Medical College's (KMC), according to Prof Shahnaz Parvin, head of the department.

Among those samples, some were collected more than two weeks back, said lab sources.

Around 2,000 samples were sent to Dhaka and testing of 750 are still pending, Prof Shahnaz told this correspondent yesterday afternoon.

Dr Mehedi Newaz, vice principal of KMC, said since early July, they were receiving 450 to 500 samples every day, whilst they can test 288 samples per day, running three shifts.

He suggested setting up RT-PCR labs in Satkhira, Narail and Bagerhat to reduce the pressure on the KMC's lab.

From April 7 till yesterday, KMC's lab tested 16,694 samples, of which 3,577 or 21 percent, came out positive.

Dr Suzat Ahmed, civil surgeon of Khulna, told this correspondent on Tuesday, "In the division, 44 percent of the positive cases are in Khulna district, and 1,900 are in the city. The virus is also spreading in the surrounding villages. This is very alarming."

Till yesterday, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the district was 2,751 while the total in the other nine districts of the division was 3,518.

NO COORDINATION AMONG LABS

Besides the one at KMC, Khulna division has two more RT-PCR labs -- one at the Genome Centre of Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST) and other at Kushtia General Hospital.

Neither of these have any backlog, according to the lab authorities.

Earlier this week, HM Anwarul Islam, civil surgeon of Kushtia, said, every day around 180 to 230 samples come to the district for testing from Meherpur, Chuadanga, Magura and Jhenaidah, and between 270 to 280 samples can be tested per day. 

"No sample remains pending [for test] here," he said, "But sometimes, report delivery is delayed by about two days."

From April 25 to July 9, Kushtia's lab tested 10,928 samples, of which only 803 or about 7 percent were positive.

Compared to the other two, the lab in JUST tested only 7,862 samples, mostly from Jashore and Magura, between April 17 to July 9.  Among those 1,546 or 20 percent came out positive.

Md Iqbal Kabir Zahid, professor of JUST's microbiology department and associate director of the Genome Centre, said they run three shifts testing 270 samples per day now.

If more samples are received one day, they accept fewer samples for testing on the following day, he said.

When asked why they are not helping out with KMC's backlog, the professor said, "We do not accept old samples. There are chances of getting false negative from such samples. The results of these types of samples are not reliable."

Samples are tested within 24 hours of collection at the Jashore's lab, he claimed on Monday.

However, the JUST lab often remains closed for cleaning. It was closed for the same purpose from last Friday to Sunday, said Md Iqbal.

When the KMC's principal was asked why pending samples are not sent to Jashore for testing, he alleged that the test result of Jashore's lab is not reliable.

About the efficacy of old samples, he said if the samples are preserved in a proper manner, results are not affected. "We preserve the samples properly in our lab," he claimed.

A total of 114 patients died of Covid-19 in Khulna division and 2,230 have recovered, as of yesterday.