KOCHI: A botched test conducted by a hospital in the UK for Covid-19 had put the lives of five Malayali youths at risk. But their timely decision to get back to Kerala from Edinburgh saved their lives. Life was all well for the five Malayali friends in their 20s—Harshal of Manjeri, Mubashir of Kasaragod, Shakir of Kannur, Alishan Saleem of Manjeri and Ashwin M of Kasaragod—who have been pursuing MBA at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, until one day in the first week of March, Ashwin returned to the room from his part-time job at an eatery with severe fever and cough.
As the panic-struck students alerted the health authorities in Edinburgh about the acute symptoms of fever, body pain and diarrhoea shown by Ashwin for Covid-19 infection, he was taken to the nearest hospital where his blood sample was taken for testing. “We could contact the authorities over the phone only after trying for around 20 minutes. The hospital took my blood and within two hours came back with a result saying that there was nothing to fear and I could return. But we were doubtful and decided to come to Kerala. We don’t know what would have been our situation if we stayed back,” Ashwin told TNIE over the phone from Kasaragod Government Hospital where he is recuperating from Covid-19 infection.
“Though my first two tests were negative for Covid-19 after the treatment, the doctors wanted to confirm it with a third test. I will be discharged only after that,” he said. While Ashwin, Harshal and Alishan decided to return to Kerala, Mubashir and Shakir stayed back in Edinburgh. “We reached Kochi airport on March 18 and the health officials directed us to remain in strict home quarantine.
On March 20, blood test results of Ashwin and Harshal came back positive and they were shifted to hospitals. I was shifted to Government Medical College at Manjeri after testing positive on March 24,” said Alishan, who was discharged on April 14 after his three test results came negative. ‘We still don’t understand why the hospital in the UK was so casual in attending to Ashwin who was really weak at that time,” Alishan said, adding both Mubashir and Shakir also had fever. “We have been in touch with them. They also had fever for a few days, but somehow they recovered. They are waiting for an opportunity to get back home,” Alishan added.