Health authorities claiming ‘mistake’ in child’s COVID-19 results

…mother demands clarity after 40 days in isolation

The mother of an 11-year-old, who was placed in mandatory quarantine, has expressed frustration at the Public Health Ministry for claiming a mix-up in her child’s COVID-19 tests.

Roshanie Singh-Baboolall is the daughter-in-law of Guyana’s patient zero. She was placed at one of the isolation facilities since March 16 along with other relatives.
Her husband, daughter, father-in-law and brother-in-law would’ve later tested positive and were placed in a separate room of the facility. After 14 days, the four of them were tested again, to which only the 11-year-old’s test returned positive.
However, Singh-Baboolall said that she and other persons were transferred to the same room with her daughter after also testing positive. Another 14 days were spent in isolation and tests were performed again. It showed negative but health authorities returned, claiming that another sample was needed from the child. Two days later, they claimed that she was instead, positive and a ‘mistake’ was made.
“They told me that she didn’t get enough sample so they did the test Tuesday gone. Tonight (Thursday), they’re coming to tell me that they made a mistake that my daughter is positive,” the frustrated mother explained.
“Give me some answers. Isn’t this madness? She’s inside of the room with us. They said she’s negative when she did the test. Then they come and tell us that she’s positive. What really are these people doing with our lives? …I need help. My daughter is only 11 years old and she’s in quarantine for 40 days and over,” she added.
Singh-Baboolall is calling for answers into these discrepancies and for the health authorities to come clean on if they’re actually positive for the coronavirus. She stated that they were the first set of persons to be isolated and are still at the facility, awaiting word from the health counterpart.
“I don’t care if I am discriminated. I know I don’t have the virus and she doesn’t have the virus but they’re saying that she has it…We haven’t seen the test results. Nothing! They’re just coming and telling us…We are not sick and we don’t have any symptoms.”
The child’s grandmother, 52-year-old Ratna Baboolall, was considered Guyana’s patient zero after she posthumously tested positive for COVID-19. The New York-based Guyanese woman was making her annual visit to Guyana when she took ill and subsequently passed away at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
On March 10, a test of her blood glucose level revealed it was at 578. Later that day, another test showed that her blood sugar level had risen to 598. Sensing that something was wrong, the woman was taken to a health facility at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara (ECD), where they were told that it was suspected that she had pneumonia. However, further testing had to be done to confirm.
She was then transferred to a doctor in Georgetown. While taking her medical and travel history, a doctor at the private hospital immediately referred her to the Georgetown Public Hospital, since she had travelled from NY.
Efforts for clarity from health authorities proved futile.
Family members have since been moved to The Daimond Hospital.