Single Number Used For 12 Different persons For Covid RT-PCR Test In Bengaluru

Rithika Reddy, 31 years old lawyer, resident of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palika's (BBMP) East zone got to detect the issue when her number was used to register for at least 12 unrelated persons for testing.

On August 5, after getting an RT-PCR test, shediscovered the problem as she started receiving several test reports of unknown persons via SMS and it led to a Covid testing mess and a mixup. Things started getting worst since she started receiving SMS.

Despite the fact that her RT-PCR test result was negative, two SMSs arrived on August 7 and 9 with two people's positive test results. It includes reports of a 26-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man who were exposed to the virus. Shortly thereafter, she began receiving phone calls from municipal officials who were under the misconception that she was Covid-positive.

Although sheclaims that she did not have the disease and is not familiar withthe two positive cases, she continued to get pressuring calls from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). She noted on Wednesday that test results for two more people had arrived via SMS.

The data inaccuracy was confirmed by sources in the BBMP war room, although they did not understand how it occurred as they emphasized that the user's phone number must be verified using an OTP code before the swab can be collected for sample. While, several swab collectors, however, claimed that registering a test participant without generating a new OTP is doable.

However, a swab collector explained that the system has a 're-test' feature that may be used for any specific phone number. Some testing teams use this strategy to inflate the number of tests they run on a daily basis. It's likely that some other test takers were linked to this single number to protect them from becoming approached by the BBMP if they tested positive in this case.

Meanwhile, the private sample collectors had gathered all of the samples, which were then examined at Strand Lab (HCG Hospital). Rithika Reddy is one of the people whose number was provided. Other people's mobile numbers in RT-PCR data were different. The lab somehow made the error of submitting results into ICMR with the same number