Cairns Covid: Residents receive wrong name in text message error
Some residents around Cairns who got tested for Covid received a positive test result with the incorrect name earlier in the week.
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SOME residents around Cairns who got tested for Covid received a positive test result with the incorrect name earlier in the week.
Charlene Mitchell from Cairns was distressed to see she had received someone else’s positive Covid result.
“It kind of did distress me a bit,” she said.
“I got a text that had somebody else’s name on it. At the bottom of the message it didn’t have ‘if you received this in error please call this number’.”
Ms Mitchell called various Covid helplines to try to make sure the person who tested positive knew but found herself getting voicemail after voicemail. Eventually she got on to a number and gave someone the details of the message.
“I didn’t have to call anybody. I could’ve ignored it but I felt that it was the wrong thing to do,” she said.
Ms Mitchell said the person who tested positive deserved to know.
“I felt worried for the person waiting for the result not knowing, when we were waiting I know how much anxiety we had.”
A Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service spokeswoman said there had been an issue around positive case notifications.
“Some people who have tested positive to Covid-19 have received a text notification from us about their test results,” she said.
“However the text message they received contained the incorrect name. The health service apologises for this system error.
“People who received one of these text messages have been contacted to confirm that they should please continue to follow the advice contained in the message, as they have tested positive to Covid-19.”
The CHHHS spokeswoman said the issue has been identified and there is a new process to ensure it does not happen again.
“With COVID-19 cases escalating within the Cairns and Hinterland region, our teams are under significant pressure to contact the hundreds of people who have tested positive to the virus.”
Ms Mitchell has since tested positive to the virus and has been moved to the Holiday Inn Cairns Hospital Isolation facility as it was the safest option under her circumstances.
“I was not able to breathe properly, I couldn’t even walk from the bed to the toilet,” she said.
Despite the initial distress she faced Ms Mitchell said the interactions she has had since has been great.
“But honestly everybody I have dealt with since getting my result have been so nice, so friendly and really caring,” she said.
“The whole system if you get a positive result has been comforting and caring.”
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Originally published as Cairns Covid: Residents receive wrong name in text message error
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