Many patients, who were tested negative for COVID-19 in the RT-PCR test, were found to have ground glass opacity in their lungs as shown by high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT).

On 8th November, the health department issued an order that acknowledged a large number of patients who were tested negative were detected with lung infection in HRCT.

In the order, Siddhartha Mahajan, the principal secretary (health) instructed all the chief medical health officers to appoint a nodal officer, preferably a senior doctor, for observing a database of such patients who are tested negative but having lung infection.

This issue was raised during the video conferencing meeting of chief minister Ashok Gehlot with health department officials and doctors on Friday. Dr Sudhir Bhandari, who is a SMS Medical College principal and controller said that even if a patient tests negative for COVID in RT-PCR test, and if they find lung infection in HRCT or has any other COVID symptoms, then he should get treatment as per COVID protocol.

HRCT is available free in government hospitals but the government has put a price cap in private hospitals. The health department officials also claimed that HRCT is very useful for treatment of coronavirus patients.

Also, in a recent order that was issued by the health department, directions have been issued to the health authorities to offer free transportation to patients in rural are as who are having difficulty in breathing. They should get their HRCT done atdivisional or district level government hospitals, if the doctors who are treating them feels it issignificant.

If doctors discover the ground glass opacity with other typical COVID-19 symptoms in a CT scan report, then they should immediately start the COVID treatment without waiting for the RT-PCR report. HRCT has become more important as a diagnostic tool as the sensitivity of RT-PCR is only 70% and it can show false negatives.

Source: ET Healthworld