A medical doctor [name witheld] has disclosed that he may have unknowingly infected a number of people who visited his hospital for treatment with Covid-19.
According to the doctor, he had been treating a Covid-19 positive patient but did not know until the death of the patient when it was confirmed that she had died of Covid-19.
“After that, I had opted to test for the virus but within the 15 day period, before my results were released, I came to work. I was at work regularly; I did consultations, I touched patients, I treated patients, I talked to patients, I examined patients, and only God knows how many of them I might have unknowingly infected,” he told JoyNews’ Fred Smith.
The doctor who works in one of the tertiary institutions in the country disclosed that he once received a patient who had not shown any symptoms of Covid-19 yet it was confirmed later that she died from the virus.
On arrival, she had shown symptoms of another ailment that was being investigated. During the investigations, other conditions were discovered which were also investigated and many others followed during the course of the investigations.
She was later referred to the ICU where the ICU team demanded a Covid-test before admitting her.
But due to the critical nature of her condition, she was admitted while awaiting the test result which came out positive, after she died.
Meanwhile, the doctor who was among the team of health workers that treated her had resumed worked and was going about his normal duties at the hospital, though he opted to take the test.
After a 15 day period, it was confirmed that he had also contracted the virus.
“Some of the doctors taking care of the patient, so far as I know, didn’t go to test. I volunteered and went to test only to find out three weeks later that I was positive. And I’m sure it was communicated to the hospital that she was transferred from that the patient had died of the pandemic,” he added.
He however has suggested that in order to end the problem of doctors transmitting the virus to patients unknowingly, PPEs must be made available to health workers while test results of persons who test for the virus must be released earlier than it is being done now.
“It should come hours at most a day or two of testing somebody,” he added.
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