Delay in getting COVID test results brings Maradu municipality work to a standstill

Samples of 59 municipal staff sent to Regional Public Health Lab a week ago

The functioning of the Maradu municipality has come to a near standstill owing to the delay of nearly a week in receiving COVID-19 test results from the Regional Public Health Lab.

The primary health centre (PHC) at Nettoor had sent 259 samples last week to the lab, out of which 59 were of the municipal staff, including the health standing committee chairperson. Following the delay, the chairperson opted for antigen test, was found positive, and has since emerged from quarantine.

“Ideally, those giving samples for testing are supposed to quarantine themselves till the results are out. But with the delay, people have to go for testing at private facilities while some others choose to roam around. If the samples of the municipal staff who had gone into quarantine voluntarily turn out to be negative, then the municipality would have needlessly lost their service for over a week,” said Maradu municipal chairman Antony Ashanparambil, who had gone into quarantine five times in quick succession, the latest being when the health standing committee chairperson tested positive.