Maharashtra doctor describes COVID-19 swab sample collection

The coronavirus pandemic has been ravaging the entire planet. And the human tribe that has been the most helpful in stemming the spread of the virus are the doctors.

Even collecting the swab samples is a tough task, leave alone treating the infected patients.

To this end, a doctor working at a hospital for treatment of coronavirus patients in Aurangabad in Maharashtra has revealed the challenges they face in collecting swab samples of the suspected patients.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The process of swab sample collection of a person does not take more than 30 to 40 seconds, but it is a "high-risk job", Dr Pushkar Dahiwal, who collects 80 to 100 swab samples in a day at the government hospital in Aurangabad, told PTI.

The doctors work for three days and then remain self- quarantined for 14 days.

During the six-hour duty, doctors have to keep wearing the personal protective equipment (PPE) and amidst the fast-paced work, they do not even get a chance to drink water, he said.

A 10 to 12 cm long stick is used to collect a sample from a person's throat, while the stick used for collecting a sample from the nose is comparatively longer and thinner.

Dr Pushkar Dahiwal also said that at times they need to counsel coronavirus suspects as some of them think they don't have the infection but carry fear in mind.

The nurse and other accompanying staff also need to stay alert as the swab samples are to be sealed immediately and kept in a proper storage facility.

Dr Pushkar Dahiwal also had taken care of victims of the 26/11 terror attack in 2008 at the Saint George Hospital in Mumbai.