People who never tested positive turning up with post-Covid issues

MUMBAI: A senior citizen suffering from breathlessness, exertion and dry cough visited a Navi Mumbai hospital. The 60-year-old had never tested positive for Covid, but a lung function test showed restriction consistent with Covid features.

A high-resolution CT scan revealed mild residual Covid lesions caused by the immune response in fighting the virus and some fuzziness in the lungs. The doctors ruled out other illnesses by conducting more investigations. The patient revealed that he had travelled to pilgrim towns, including Varanasi, prior to the lockdown in February-March and that he had mild fever for a few days.



On the basis of his history and his condition, they concluded that it was a case of post-Covid. He was treated with steroids and inhaler. While this was a stray case in June, doctors are now reporting more instances of patients who have never tested positive landing in hospitals with post-Covid symptoms. They report a history of fever or cough, which subsides in a day or two and which they may have ignored.

But with symptoms resurfacing, many are being subjected to the RTPCR test where results come negative. But the same patients then test positive in the antibody test, indicating a history of Covid. Doctors claim many may’ve neglected signs of Covid earlier as mild symptoms subside in a day or two.

Dr Jayalakshmi T K, a consultant pulmonologist with Apollo Hospital in Navi Mumbai, has seen about 30 such patients who have never tested positive but come with breathlessness and unexplained lung ailments. “We ask for their history. Then they reveal they might have had fever two or three months ago.

The RT-PCR would be negative, but a CT scan shows typical Covid-like features and it is fairly confirmatory. A high CO-RADS score is suggestive of Covid and in some cases, the antibody tests too come positive although that need not necessarily mean that the symptoms are because of Covid,” she said.