‘I get a text saying I’m negative, then get a message saying I do have Covid’

A man who initially received the all-clear from a Covid test before emergency surgery for appendicitis was turned around from the operating theatre after some “oddities” in his swab.

AFTER a long and tense wait, a patient in the Hobart Private Hospital has been advised he has Covid-19 after a first test gave him the all-clear.

Luke Crowley went to the hospital on Sunday with severe abdominal pain.

Mr Crowley said that after he checked into the emergency department, the private hospital contacted the emergency surgeon.

“I then had a Covid test. Later that afternoon I met the surgeon who was keen to get the appendicitis surgery done pending a clear test,” he said.

Luke Crowley recovering in Hobart Private Hospital.

“At 6pm that night it becomes obvious I was not getting my results in time for that to happen, so surgery was put off to the following day. I spent the night in a hospital bed dealing with the pain of appendicitis.

“I eventually get the nod to do the surgery after I get a text at 4pm the next day from pathology saying I’m negative.

“I head up to the operating theatre but they turn me around because of ‘issues’.

“I then get a message from Tas Health saying I do have Covid.

“The surgeon told me they found some oddities and trace Covid in my first test, but totally clear in my second, hence the clear result.

“He works some magic and does the operation anyway with all staff in ‘Chernobyl-level’ PPE. God bless them.”

The operation was completed and a new Covid swab taken on Tuesday morning.

“I have been waiting 25 hours and counting for the second result and being treated by the wonderful staff here as if I have the infection in the interest of staff and other patient safety,” Mr Crowley said early on Wednesday.

About 12pm on Wednesday, Mr Crowley was told by hospital staff his second swab had returned a positive result and he would be discharged to isolate.

“What I want to know is, why the hell was someone in hospital with a potential case of Covid-19 not a priority test? Why did it take so long?

“I called the hotline and they had no record of me testing at all.”

Hobart Pathology is a private testing company.