Entire Batch Of Unlabelled Swab Tests Leaves ‘Desperate’ Maltese Mother Of Eight-Year-Old Girl Fuming
A very concerned mother of an eight-year-old girl who underwent a COVID-19 swab test last week was told her daughter would have to get tested again after a batch of tests was left without any labels.
“This is a desperate call for help,” the mother posted earlier this morning. “My daughter conducted a swab test on Friday and we are still waiting for a result. The only place you can call is 111 and I called several times, they take your details and that’s it… I sent several emails to the email address provided and still nothing.”
“I’m literally going crazy and I need help,” the woman trailed off.
What had left the mother even more confused is that she had also gotten a swab test from the same centre at the same time… but she received her result just over 24 hours later.
“We’ve been stuck at home for two weeks because my husband tested positive,” the woman told Lovin Malta. “On Friday, my daughter and I went to get swabbed together at the Pembroke testing centre. I got my test back on Saturday evening by 10pm… but my daughter’s had still not arrived this morning, four days later.”
Some time later, however, the mother finally managed to get through to the laboratory… but the reply only turned her from desperate to furious.
“There was a batch without labels!” she updated her Facebook friends, fuming. “My daughter’s swab one of them. She has to do another one!”
The total number of swab tests in the affected, unlabelled batch has not been confirmed yet.
“Unbelievable,” the woman finished. “Feels like we are living in a third world country or dealing with rats!”
“Now, a scared eight-year-old has girl to go through the whole thing all over again… just because of incompetence.”
Speaking to Lovin Malta earlier today, the mother said that after the lab confirmed there was a batch without any labels, they arranged for her daughter to get swabbed again… this time at Mater Dei hospital.
“111 told me to go to Pembroke at 6pm, but my daughter was crying because she’s afraid to do it in the dark,” the concerned mother continued.
“Now we’re here at Mater Dei, waiting in the queue for another swab,” she told Lovin Malta.
“People are already anxious and desperate after two weeks inside,” the mother finished. “My husband has been totally isolated, I’m just going to feed him like a dog. And then you get this. Absurd.”
Since this morning, the eight-year-old girl has undergone another swab test at Mater Dei and is now waiting for her results for a second time.
Lovin Malta has reached out to the Health Ministry for an official statement on the matter, but an email sent this morning has as of yet remained unanswered, with a spokesperson saying they were still “checking facts”.
What do you make of this case?
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