A Cincinnati woman is desperate for answers after testing negative for coronavirus despite being told by a doctor she was likely exposed to the bug, according to a report.
Elizabeth Edwards, 38, learned early Thursday that her COVID-19 test results were negative following six agonizing days of waiting and a breathless trip to a hospital, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Doctors are now puzzled by the result after ruling out other illnesses like the flu and bacterial pneumonia, as well as hypochondria, according to the worried mother.
“Every medical professional who has evaluated me – including the hospital last night – thinks I have [coronavirus],” Edwards told the newspaper Thursday.
Doctors believe Edwards has the virus despite the negative test result based on her vital signs, a chest X-ray ruling out pneumonia, blood samples and symptoms like shortness of breath and a 102-degree fever, she said.
Edwards, who has had trouble breathing since March 12, equated the feeling to having “an asthma attack that doesn’t end.” The situation became so severe that Edwards spent Wednesday night in a hospital, she said.
“I just couldn’t get enough air and my heart was going pretty fast to keep up,” she told the Enquirer. “Obviously, I’ve never been to the hospital gasping for air, so something is wrong.”
The Cincinnati Health Department’s medical director is now working with the private lab that tested Edwards about a possible false negative result, Edwards said.
One or more negative test result does not rule out COVID-19 infection, according to the World Health Organization. Several factors could produce a false negative, including poor specimen quality, late or early testing amid the infection or technical issues, according to WHO fact sheet.
City health officials declined to comment, citing privacy laws, but the agency did confirm it was working with LabCorp for coronavirus testing. Officials at the North Carolina-based company could not be reached for comment, the Enquirer reports.
“The only thing you can do is rest,” Edwards said of how she’s fighting her illness. “The only thing you can do is drink fluids.”
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