On May 15 evening, a pregnant woman was declared negative for coronavirus by the health authorities.
The expecting mother, Shaheena (name changed) from Kanganhal village was having late pregnancy.
The family heaved a sigh of relief once they were handed over the final report showing Shaheena negative for the infection.
All their attention shifted to welcome the child in the family.
The next morning, the expecting mother was shifted to a private nursing home in Anantnag town, where she delivered a baby after undergoing a cesarean.
Shaheena and her husband were upbeat. The joy, however, was short-lived.
Late in the evening, the health officials in Anantnag told the family the women has tested positive for the virus.
The news left them in shock. Her husband blamed the health authorities for the negligence and putting many lives at the risk of contracting the fatal infection.
“I am shocked how my wife turned positive all of a sudden when it were the same health authorities who handed me a report confirming she has tested negative for COVID19,” he said.
Greater Kashmir accessed the list of people whose reports were received by Anantnag health authorities on May 15 from Srinagar’s Chest Disease hospital.
Shaheena figures on serial number 12 and her final result is shown negative.
The next day, however, when the GMC Anantnag released the list of patients who had tested positive for COVID19, Shaheena figured in the list at serial number 1. But she had been wrongly named in the report this time.
The residence and phone numbers on both the reports were, however, same.
Chief Medical Officer (CEO) Anantnag, DrMukhtar Ahmad said the woman has tested positive for COVID19.
“That is what I can say,” Dr Ahmad said.
When asked about the initial report which had shown Sharif negative, the CMO put the blame on the authorities at the CD hospital.
“It is they who got it wrong,” the CMO said.
He said the lab at the CD Hospital was overburdened which could have led to the error.
He said the patient was isolated in the nursing home and might be shifted to a COVID19 designated hospital.
“We are yet to take a call on it,” he said.
Asked for his comments on the case, Medical Superintendent, CD Hospital Dr SalimTak asked to contact the nodal officer.
Dr Salim Khan, nodal officer, GMC Srinagar said the Sharif’s samples had first tested negative. But on retesting, he said, the samples came positive for the infection.
The report that the woman was tested positive for the infection led to panic in the private nursing home where she went under cesarean.
A doctor and staff members who managed the woman have gone into home quarantine.