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«The doctor did not refer me for tests. The husband with covid symptoms also did not receive a referral. We bought the tests ourselves »- Barbara wrote to MedTvoiLokony. The same problem was experienced by Mr. Jacek’s family, which was undergoing COVID-19. There are more similar signals. Why this lack of referrals for PCR tests, even in cases of symptoms suggesting coronavirus infection? We asked the Ministry of Health about it. Here are the explanations.
- «The doctor did not refer me or my husband for tests. We bought them ourselves »wrote to MedTvoiLokony Mrs Barbara, who has passed COVID-19 with her husband. Mr. Jacek had a similar situation
- The Ministry of Health would like to remind you that, in accordance with the applicable rules, “a doctor decides about the referral of a patient for a coronavirus test, based on an assessment of the health condition, including symptoms that may indicate COVID-19”
- If your GP decides to test a patient with disturbing symptoms, it will be a rapid antigen test
- Your doctor may order a PCR test before admitting you to hospital (if considered necessary)
- More information can be found on the TvoiLokony home page
«We did not receive any test referrals»
Concerned readers of MedTvoiLokony inform us about the problems they have in obtaining a referral for PCR tests. This happens even when symptoms clearly suggest it is COVID-19. This was the case with Jacek and his family.
The 36-year-old developed a high temperature, body aches, severe cough, runny nose, sinus problems and weakness. – It’s been a long time since I felt so broken, if ever. Then I had chest pains and a sense of palpitations alternately – describes Jacek. My wife had a high temperature and “the throat problem was such that she couldn’t talk.” “She did the test and it turned out to be COVID-19,” the man recalls. The couple’s little children (two sons, one month old and two years old) also caught the disease.
– We didn’t get any test referrals. We were marked as sick, but no signal from the government, nothing went to the system that we were in quarantine – says Jacek. – A year ago, when my wife was pregnant with Stas and she went to check if she was ill with COVID-19, the quarantine appeared ex officio. Now nothing. And it is scary – admits the man.
«We bought the tests ourselves. We might as well not have done them »
Barbara and her husband did not receive a referral for the test. They both developed scratching and sore throats, then there was total breakdown, fatigue and elevated temperature. «I did the first pharmacy test on the second day after the symptoms appeared. The result was negative, so I was sure it was not COVID-19 »recalls the woman, but the symptoms got worse so that Barbara decided to see a doctor.
However, the doctor did not refer her for tests, “he recommended symptomatic treatment, repeating the pharmacy test and, if the test was positive, extending the sick leave by e-visit”. «The husband, who a few days later went to the doctor with covid symptoms, also did not receive a referral for tests. We bought them ourselves in the pharmacy, actually only for our own knowledge. We might as well not have done them »says the woman.
At medonetmarket.pl you will find home tests for SARS-CoV-2:
- COVID-19 Rapid Test – Antigenic Test for Self-Control
- COVID-19 antigen test – SGTi-flex COVID-19 Ag
- Home COVID-19 Ag SGTi-flex cartridge test
- COVID-19 – Rapid Saliva Antigen Test
- SARS-COV-2 smear antigen test for self-monitoring
«We organized the isolation ourselves because we are aware of how quickly the virus spreads. Nobody was interested in whether we follow the quarantine rules. No services recorded our illness, so for the «system» we did not have any COVID-19. Nobody takes into account the pharmacy tests. We have many such cases among my friends »- he describes in a letter to MedTvoiLokony.
Doctors refuse to refer you for tests? The Ministry of Health explains
Many people ask why, in the era of the most infectious and most easily spreading mutation of the coronavirus, doctors refuse to test patients for COVID-19, especially genetic tests (PCR). We couldn’t help but ask the Ministry of Health about it. At the beginning, however, an important reminder. In accordance with the rules of ordering and performing tests for coronavirus in force since April 1, a doctor decides about referring a patient for a test based on an assessment of the health condition, including symptoms that may indicate COVID-19.
As for the testing itself, the Ministry of Health explains that according to the current rules, «The primary health care physician can perform an antigen test, but it is not possible to issue a referral for a PCR test. Genetic tests can be performed as part of hospital diagnostics ». As we read on gov.pl, “the PCR test will be used in the event of final confirmation or exclusion of whether the symptoms of respiratory tract infections with which the patient has entered the hospital are caused by the coronavirus”.
The health ministry also explains that “a positive antigen test result is sufficient to determine SARS-CoV-2 infection”. «A confirmed case of COVID-19 is any person meeting the laboratory criterion. ie detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid from clinical specimen or detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen / s from clinical specimen ».
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