In a bizarre incident, at least four people from West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 without ever undergoing a test for the virus.
The incident occurred in Belon village under Goalpokhor-2 block.
On August 11, the district health department had organised a mass RT-PCR testing of random samples in the area to assess possible community transmission of the deadly virus.
Of the total 80 samples which were collected for the test, swabs were taken from 73 people on that list. However, when test reports came on August 14, four people out of the seven who did not undergo the test were mentioned as ‘COVID positive’.
‘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,’ Tauf Alam, a member of the local panchayat said. ‘When I saw a long queue that day I left without testing. Yet they have given a report saying I’ve tested COVID positive. This is all false,’ Harun Rashid, whose name was on the list but did not undergo the test said.
Reacting to the incident, district Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Rabindranath Pradhan ordered a probe into the matter.
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