After Testing Negative For COVID-19, Do You Need Blood And Thorax Tests?

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JAKARTA - After being declared negative on swab tests and isolation for 14 days, do COVID-19 patients need to do blood and thorax tests?

Clinical practitioners, health observer educators and COVID-19 volunteers dr. Muhamad Fajri Adda'i said ideally all COVID-19 patients had blood and thorax examinations done.

However, with the current impossible situation, this is difficult to do, especially with the constraints of limited access to health and the cost is not cheap.

"Actually, ideally, yes. Because there are some, even in people who are asymptomatic, there must be white spots, or there is inflammation of the infection in the lungs even though they are asymptomatic," Fajri said as quoted by Antara, Sunday, July 11.

The doctor who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Gajah Mada University, said that X-rays were useful for further examinations if there were other symptoms after COVID-19 patients underwent quarantine for 14 days. According to Fajri, medical experts can only carry out treatment management if there are indications that they should not.

"That's to help establish a diagnosis and the doctor will carry out the examination based on the story first, then the physical examination, then X-rays and supporting examinations, one of which is a swab," said Fajri.

In addition to x-rays, ideally COVID-19 patients also have blood tests, especially if the person has congenital diseases such as heart disease, blood clots to kidney disorders.

Blood tests are also useful for distinguishing whether someone has COVID-19, dengue or typhoid, because the symptoms caused by these diseases are slightly similar.

"If people have comorbidities, ideally they should be checked at the hospital, their platelets, because there are also similar to dengue fever, typhoid. The important thing is to check for blood clots, see if there are blood clots in their veins, that's why if you can check them," said Fajri.

Fajri said 16 percent of people infected with COVID-19 had blood clots, especially those with comorbidities. These blood clots can be prevented by giving drugs so they don't get worse.

"Ideally, all COVID-19 patients have X-rays, blood tests too," he added.