NEW DELHI: The new coronavirus variant causing the current wave of Covid-19 is not only highly contagious, but also sneaky.
City hospitals say that there are cases where a patient has typical symptoms of the disease, but that it is negative for the viral infection, sometimes even twice or thrice through RT-PCR, which is considered the gold standard for Covid- testing.
‘We have received many such patients in the last few days. They had fever, cough, shortness of breath and the CT scan of the lungs showed lighter or gray spots. It is referred to in medical terms as opaque ground glass transparency. The condition is one of the defining characteristics of Covid-19, ”said dr. Aashish Chaudhry, managing director of Aakash Healthcare, said.
He added that some of the patients underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), a diagnostic method in which a flexible scope is transmitted through the mouth or nose into the lungs, with a measured amount of fluid being brought in and then collected for examination , which confirms the diagnosis.
“All such individuals who tested negative by conventional Covid-19 testing methods but had disease symptoms were positive in the flush test,” said Dr. Chaudhry said.
What can cause it? Dr Pratibha Kale, associate professor of clinical microbiology at the Institute of Liver and Bile Sciences, said: “It is possible that the virus did not colonize the nasal or throat cavity in these patients. It produces a positive result.” The virus, she added, attaching itself to the ACE receptors – a protein found on the surface of many cell types – in the lungs and ‘therefore the Covid-19 diagnosis was confirmed when the fluid samples from the organ were analyzed.
Dr Vivek Nangia, head of the pulmonology department at Max Healthcare, said that almost 15-20% of Covid-19 patients suffer from this problem. ‘They are very symptomatic of the disease, but test negative. This is a serious problem because such patients can continue to spread the infection if they are admitted to non-Covid areas. It can also delay treatment, ”he added.
The pulmonologist said that the symptoms in Covid patients also differ significantly in the current wave compared to previous outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2. An important mutation in the virus cannot be ruled out. “This is the most plausible explanation for the changes that are being seen,” he said.
Dr Arup Basu, senior consultant in the breast medicine department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said that this time also runny nose, colds and conjunctivitis symptoms were seen, which had not occurred before. “Many patients do not have a cough or breath, and the result of the CT scan of their lungs is also normal. However, they have a persistent high fever for eight to nine days that necessitates hospitalization, ”he said.
City hospitals say that there are cases where a patient has typical symptoms of the disease, but that it is negative for the viral infection, sometimes even twice or thrice through RT-PCR, which is considered the gold standard for Covid- testing.
‘We have received many such patients in the last few days. They had fever, cough, shortness of breath and the CT scan of the lungs showed lighter or gray spots. It is referred to in medical terms as opaque ground glass transparency. The condition is one of the defining characteristics of Covid-19, ”said dr. Aashish Chaudhry, managing director of Aakash Healthcare, said.
He added that some of the patients underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), a diagnostic method in which a flexible scope is transmitted through the mouth or nose into the lungs, with a measured amount of fluid being brought in and then collected for examination , which confirms the diagnosis.
“All such individuals who tested negative by conventional Covid-19 testing methods but had disease symptoms were positive in the flush test,” said Dr. Chaudhry said.
What can cause it? Dr Pratibha Kale, associate professor of clinical microbiology at the Institute of Liver and Bile Sciences, said: “It is possible that the virus did not colonize the nasal or throat cavity in these patients. It produces a positive result.” The virus, she added, attaching itself to the ACE receptors – a protein found on the surface of many cell types – in the lungs and ‘therefore the Covid-19 diagnosis was confirmed when the fluid samples from the organ were analyzed.
Dr Vivek Nangia, head of the pulmonology department at Max Healthcare, said that almost 15-20% of Covid-19 patients suffer from this problem. ‘They are very symptomatic of the disease, but test negative. This is a serious problem because such patients can continue to spread the infection if they are admitted to non-Covid areas. It can also delay treatment, ”he added.
The pulmonologist said that the symptoms in Covid patients also differ significantly in the current wave compared to previous outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2. An important mutation in the virus cannot be ruled out. “This is the most plausible explanation for the changes that are being seen,” he said.
Dr Arup Basu, senior consultant in the breast medicine department of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said that this time also runny nose, colds and conjunctivitis symptoms were seen, which had not occurred before. “Many patients do not have a cough or breath, and the result of the CT scan of their lungs is also normal. However, they have a persistent high fever for eight to nine days that necessitates hospitalization, ”he said.