Coimbatore: Complaint lodged against Microbiology Lab in Coimbatore for a false positive COVID test report
Coimbatore: Complaint has been lodged against a private diagnostic centre by the name Microbiology Lab at Vadavalli for giving an alleged false positive COVID-19 test report here on Wednesday. A stir broke out as the victim and his friends besieged the laboratory, claiming that the lab provided false positive tests.
Microbiology Lab is a microbiological testing center located in the Vadavalli area next to Coimbatore, which is a government-approved coronavirus testing center. Manikandan, 27, from Kovilmedu, Coimbatore, who is working for a private construction company in the same area was allegedly given a false positive COVID test result.
In this case, on behalf of his company, Manikandan and another employee gave mucus samples yesterday morning at the Vadavalli Microbiology Laboratory for coronavirus testing. Manikandan, the victim, said, "Last evening, the lab called and informed me that I was COVID-19 positive and asked me to see a doctor immediately. Since I was totally asymptomatic, I rechecked again at a lab on Avinashi Road on the same day and my results came out as negative." He then took the issue to Microbiology Lab.
Manikandan said that the staff working at the test center argued that their results were accurate. He also alleged that the same happened earlier to another person working in the company on the 29th last month. He was made to stay with the infected people for 3-4 hours. The persons had no symptoms and when he was tested the same day again, the result was negative.
Manikandan said negligence in testing and false reporting causes people and their families inconvenience and frustration. He was upset with the wrong results and besieged the Microbiology Laboratory in Vadavalli this morning with his friends and engaged in a protest. Following this, Vadavalli Police arrived at the scene and held talks with the victim and his friends and the administrators of the laboratory and temporarily locked it down. In addition, the laboratory staff were subjected to an interrogation.
He said that he and another victim lodged a complaint at the Vadavalli Police Station, Navavoor Pirivu and the lab has been temporarily closed and is currently under investigation. When we contacted, Microbiology Lab, they said they are not aware of any such incident and hung up.