NEW DELHI: The new coronavirus variant causing the current wave of Covid-19 is not only highly contagious, but also covert.
City hospitals say there are cases where a patient has typical symptoms of the disease, but tests negative for the viral infection, sometimes two or three times even via RT-PCR, considered the gold standard for Covid testing.
“We have received many such patients in recent days. They had a fever, cough, shortness of breath and the CT scan of the lungs showed lighter or gray patches. It is called patchy frosted glass coverage in medical terms. The condition is one of the defining features of Covid-19, ”said Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, general manager of Aakash Healthcare.
He added that some patients underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), a diagnostic method in which a flexible scope is inserted through the mouth or nose into the lungs with a measured amount of fluid introduced and then collected for examination, which makes the diagnosis confirms.
“All such individuals who tested negative with conventional Covid-19 testing methods, but had symptoms of disease, came positive in the lavage test,” said Dr. Chaudhry.
What could be causing this? Dr. Pratibha Kale, associate professor of clinical microbiology at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, said: “The virus may not colonize the nasal or pharynx in these patients, so swabs from these areas will not give a positive result. The virus, she added, attached itself to the ACE receptors – a protein found on the surface of many cell types – in the lungs, and so it confirmed the diagnosis of Covid-19 when the fluid samples were taken from the organ. analyzed “.
Dr. Vivek Nangia, head of the pulmonology division at Max Healthcare, said nearly 15-20% of Covid-19 patients suffered from this problem. “They are very symptomatic of the disease, but test negative. This is a serious problem as such patients can continue to spread the infection if admitted to non-Covid areas. It can also delay treatment, ”he added.
The pulmonologist said symptoms in Covid patients also varied significantly in the current wave compared to previous outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2. “A significant mutation in the virus cannot be ruled out. It is the most plausible explanation for the changes being observed, ”he said.
Dr. Arup Basu, senior consultant in the breast medicine department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said nasal discharge, cold and conjunctivitis-like symptoms were also seen this time in Covid-19 patients, who were previously absent. “Many patients do not have a cough or shortness of breath and the result of the CT scan of their lungs is also normal. However, they have a persistently high fever for eight to nine days, requiring hospitalization, ”he said.
City hospitals say there are cases where a patient has typical symptoms of the disease, but tests negative for the viral infection, sometimes two or three times even via RT-PCR, considered the gold standard for Covid testing.
“We have received many such patients in recent days. They had a fever, cough, shortness of breath and the CT scan of the lungs showed lighter or gray patches. It is called patchy frosted glass coverage in medical terms. The condition is one of the defining features of Covid-19, ”said Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, general manager of Aakash Healthcare.
He added that some patients underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), a diagnostic method in which a flexible scope is inserted through the mouth or nose into the lungs with a measured amount of fluid introduced and then collected for examination, which makes the diagnosis confirms.
“All such individuals who tested negative with conventional Covid-19 testing methods, but had symptoms of disease, came positive in the lavage test,” said Dr. Chaudhry.
What could be causing this? Dr. Pratibha Kale, associate professor of clinical microbiology at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, said: “The virus may not colonize the nasal or pharynx in these patients, so swabs from these areas will not give a positive result. The virus, she added, attached itself to the ACE receptors – a protein found on the surface of many cell types – in the lungs, and so it confirmed the diagnosis of Covid-19 when the fluid samples were taken from the organ. analyzed “.
Dr. Vivek Nangia, head of the pulmonology division at Max Healthcare, said nearly 15-20% of Covid-19 patients suffered from this problem. “They are very symptomatic of the disease, but test negative. This is a serious problem as such patients can continue to spread the infection if admitted to non-Covid areas. It can also delay treatment, ”he added.
The pulmonologist said symptoms in Covid patients also varied significantly in the current wave compared to previous outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2. “A significant mutation in the virus cannot be ruled out. It is the most plausible explanation for the changes being observed, ”he said.
Dr. Arup Basu, senior consultant in the breast medicine department at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said nasal discharge, cold and conjunctivitis-like symptoms were also seen this time in Covid-19 patients, who were previously absent. “Many patients do not have a cough or shortness of breath and the result of the CT scan of their lungs is also normal. However, they have a persistently high fever for eight to nine days, requiring hospitalization, ”he said.