Side Effects of COVID-19 Test? Woman with One Nostril Due to Cartilage Inflammation

Inflammation in Nose After PCR Test... Cartilage Fracture and Nostril Fusion Due to Worsening Symptoms

A woman in Argentina claimed that she was infected with bacteria through a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which eventually caused her nostrils to merge into one.
Photo by Claudia Serran, captured from Twitter

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] A woman in Argentina claimed that after undergoing a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, she became infected with bacteria, which caused her nasal cartilage to break, resulting in her two nostrils merging into one.

According to local media such as Argentina's TN on the 18th (local time), Claudia Seran from Santa Cruz, Argentina, claimed that after receiving a PCR test at a hospital last August, inflammation caused by a bacterial infection led to the breaking of the cartilage in her nose.

Seran, who works as a caregiver at the hospital, had undergone multiple PCR tests to enter the hospital. After a PCR test last August, she experienced severe itching in her nose. Although she visited the hospital, the doctor diagnosed no significant issues.

However, her condition worsened over time. Gelatin-like blood continuously came from Seran's nose, and redness and swelling appeared around her nose. When she returned to the hospital, she was diagnosed with inflammation caused by a bacterial infection in her nose.

After missing the optimal treatment period, Seran's nostrils swelled to about 4 to 5 cm in size and merged as if she had only one nostril. The ongoing inflammation eventually caused her nasal cartilage to break. Seran also told local media, "The doctor said that if I leave it as it is, the inflammation could spread to my brain and I could die."

Seran needs immediate nasal reconstruction surgery, but she must travel to another city to receive it. There are no suitable doctors or hospitals in her area that can perform this surgery.

The surgery cost is also a burden for Seran. The cost is about 200,000 Argentine Pesos (approximately 2.2 million KRW). Seran appealed, "It is not a small amount of money for me."