…samples may have been compromised – DCMO
The test results of the six-year-old girl who died last Wednesday in Linden has proven that she was not a victim of the deadly coronavirus.
The test, which was conducted on the remains of the dead girl, was done after the Linden Hospital Complex had reported that she had demonstrated severe symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
The test, which was conducted on the remains of the dead girl, was done after the Linden Hospital Complex had reported that she had demonstrated severe symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
However, Acting Medical Superintendent of the Linden Hospital, Joseph London confirmed that the results were negative but noted that her cause of death would be listed as respiratory failure or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, clinically diagnosed as viral.
Prior to the child’s death, an emergency meeting was held after she was rushed to the Emergency Room suffering from respiratory challenges and by the time the medical staff was able to have her transported to Georgetown, she succumbed.
Further, Dr London had stated that the girl was taken to the hospital for a mild fever, shortage of breath along with abdominal pains. He said that the paediatric team immediately conducted some X-Rays and other tests, after which it was recommended that she be transferred to Georgetown for a higher level of care.
He went on to reveal that within 90 minutes of arrangements being made, the child subsequently died while in the Emergency Room (ER).
“While we were waiting to transfer her, she was not maintaining oxygen over 70, which made her unstable for transfer. She was resuscitated to comfortable level and her condition continued to worsen resulting in her dying. Her condition was suspicious; however, we were unable to conduct a test on her,” Dr London had reported.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr Karen Boyle, who had spoken at the very meeting, told those in attendance that it’s important that a test should be done to ascertain if she indeed had COVID-19 or not. She had warned that because the dead body was taken to the morgue minus the test, there is a possibility that after the samples are taken the results may return as negative, warning that even if it is negative it doesn’t mean that the girl did not have COVID-19.
“It was important for the medical staff to have tested her within 24 hours after she would have died but taking into account that they may have already been taken to the morgue where she is in the fridge, I am not sure if the samples being taken off will yield a proper results,” she said.
She urged the medical officials to have a test done to be able to better understand if the symptoms were true as a result of COVID-19. “I would like to urge the medical team to conduct a test and even if it comes back negative this can be because the sample may have been compromised and not a case whereby, she is negative. With one confirmed case and a possible case within a day of each other it is important that the residents of Region 10 and health authorities here enact their plan immediately as it is evident that COVID has already entered.”
The samples from the dead girl were taken some 36 hours after she was placed in the morgue. According to some medical sources, this may have affected a true result, noting that the samples may have been compromised, a point that Dr Boyle had suggested when the matter was first brought to her attention. She, however, had stressed that the test should go ahead, nevertheless.
“The results are that the child did not die from COVID-19 and while the samples were taken off some hours after and there are several speculations, we cannot say that it was COVID-19 as the results says negative. We will nevertheless have to continue being vigilant and should we be confronted by a similar situation we are cognisant of the procedures that must be followed in taking off the samples,” he said.
