Unknown number of COVID-19 results pending for a week in Delhi private labs

On the heels of the report that the Delhi government has been hiding the number of deaths due to the spread of the deadly Coronavirus in the National Capital, test results and testing data have also now come under clouds of suspicion. The Delhi government, in the health bulletin put out on May 8, Friday, stated that Dr Lal Path Labs, a private laboratory, had many test results pending. Quick test results and resultant action are the key to tackling such an emergency and it puts Delhi government’s tall claims in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in question.

According to the Delhi government’s report on May 8, there were at least 4,262 COVID-19 samples pending in various labs, of which only 1,608 samples were collected on Thursday, May 7. While it is not immediately clear which all labs are involved, it is now known that Dr Lal Path Labs has several reports pending, especially those of patients and staff at Lok Nayak Hospital.

This delay has raised the heckles of both the staff and the patients as they have been made to repeat the tests again. There have been complaints that the COVID-19 test results conducted on May 2 and May 6 of patients and members of staff are yet to reach the hospital from Dr Lal Path Labs. There are at least 120 test results pending from Dr Lal Path Labs alone. This has got the staff, who are in quarantine, in a fix.

According to the rules, after every 14 days of COVID-19 duty, each member of the staff is under quarantine for 14 days, after which he or she is allowed to go home. “After COVID-19 duty is over, on the fifth day of the quarantine period, the swab test is held. If we test negative, then, on the seventh day, we are allowed to go home as long as we quarantine ourselves at home. My tests were taken on May 2 and May 6 and both results have not come back yet. My 14-day quarantine period is also over. Yet, I cannot go home. I was told that the test reports have been missing,” said a health staff who did not want to be identified. The health staff had not been home for a month now.

Another staff member who was pregnant and under quarantine was also worried about the missing test results as she was suffering from morning sickness as well. Her tests were taken on May 6 and sent to Dr Lal Path Labs. Her 14-day quarantine period is also coming to an end.

“We are an NABL, CAP-accredited lab with ICMR approval for COVID testing and we are following all laid down protocols. We can confirm that we have received a letter from the Delhi government asking for clarifications on a few points. We are working with the Delhi government team to provide them with all requisite data,” stated Dr Arvind Lal, chairman of Dr Lal Path Labs, in an official statement.

According to sources at Dr Lal Path Labs, the facilities there have the capacity to process 4,000 tests a day. “We do around 2,500-3,000 tests a day. We do more tests than anyone else in Delhi and we are reporting 2 per cent more positive cases. We have to give our reports in various formats to different departments of the government. ICMR requires in a format that is different from that of the Delhi government. We report the positive patients first and the reports of those who have tested negative are sent later. It’s a clerical job and we have a team of 80 people feeding these results into various systems. Negative results are fed in later. The report is pending because of the complicated IT system,” said a person who works at Dr Lal PathLabs.

When specifically asked about Lok Nayak Hospital samples, the person said that it was difficult to trace the origin of the samples sent for testing.

Some of the COVID-19 reports that came back to LN Hospital on May 8. They showed that three persons, whose tests were conducted on May 2, came back as positive six days later. As many as 70 other results also came in on the day.

In Delhi, 26 labs, 13 government and 13 private ones, have been authorised to conduct COVID-19 tests. According to a notification released by the Delhi government, if the sample is taken by the private lab using the test kit provided by a private company, then the cost of the test is Rs 4,500. If the sample is taken by a government lab, using a test kit provided by a private company, then the cost of the test is Rs 3,500. If the sample is taken by the government using a testing kit provided by the government, then the cost is Rs 2,200.

As reported by National Herald on May 7, Delhi government has stopped releasing the number of pending tests each day. On the Delhi government website (www.delhifightscorona.in), the data for April 28 is erroneous as it is the same as the one put out on April 29.

Till April 29, the government would release the details of the number of tests pending at government and private labs and the number of samples processed in the last 24 hours. As of April 28, there were 3,295 pending reports, which increased to 3,793 on April 29. Since then, this data has not been released. In a response filed at the Delhi High Court, there were 9,226 reports pending on May 2, which reduced to 3,790 as of May 3. However, the Delhi government has informed the Delhi High Court how the pending tests drastically reduced in a day.

This delay is reporting the testing data goes against the Delhi High Court order of May 4. Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad had directed the Delhi government to update on its website the correct number of COVID-19 tests that are being conducted in Delhi. The government had also directed the Arvind Kejriwal government to state the number of tests whose reports were pending after daily tests were conducted. However, as of May 9, the Delhi government has not updated their website with these details.

“Delhi government stopped providing details of testing around 10 days ago. It is now in contempt of the Delhi High Court order that had instructed the govt to share public updates of the correct number of tests conducted and the breakdown of results.” said Malini Aisola, Co-convenor of All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN).,” said Malini Aisola, co-convenor of All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN).

She pointed out that there was currently weak governmental oversight of testing in private labs. “Delhi govt should share data on the capacity of testing in each private lab, the split of testing done in public and private labs, and corresponding pendency of test reports. Delhi government is also reimbursing pvt labs for government samples at generous rates. Data for reimbursed tests must be shared,” added Aisola.

Delhi state health minister Satyendar Jain did not answer phone calls from National Herald. This article will be updated as and when he responds. National Herald also contacted the Aam Aadmi Party media panelist Akshay Marathe who said that he was not authorised to speak on government matters.

As of Saturday, May 9, the Delhi government has conducted 84,226 COVID-19 tests, out of which, 6,542 have come out positive. According to the Delhi health bulletin, only 68 persons had died of COVID-19. However, investigations have revealed that there have been more than 170 deaths in the National Capital.