E-Paper
Covid-19 in UK: At least 43,000 might have received false negative test results
The UK health security agency (UKHSA) announced that the lab in Central England’s Wolverhampton has been suspended from carrying out RT-PCR tests after reports of false-negative test results.
Health officials in the United Kingdom (UK) said on Friday that at least 43,000 people might have received false negative coronavirus disease (Covid-19) test results due to problems reported at a private lab. Currently, Britain carries out about a million Covid-19 tests in a day. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed that multiple testing sites across might have faced this problem.
The UK health security agency (UKHSA) announced that the lab in Central England’s Wolverhampton has been suspended from carrying out RT-PCR tests after reports of false-negative test results. According to a report by the Guardian, the problem came to light after a probe was conducted into reports of people receiving negative RT-PCR test results after they had tested positive for Covid-19 on a lateral flow device (LFD).
“Around 400,000 samples have been processed through the lab, the vast majority of which will have been negative results, but an estimated 43,000 people may have been given incorrect negative PCR test results mostly in southwest England,” the UKHSA said in a statement. These 43,000 people received false Covid-19 test results between September 8 and October 12.
The health agency pointed out that it was an isolated incident which is attributed to one lab, adding, the National Health Service (NHS) will contact the affected people and urge them to take another test.
Dr Will Welfare, the public health incident director at UKHSA, said that there is no proof of any faults with the PCR or LFD test kits and people should remain confident in using them and other lab services which are being provided at present, the Guardian report also said.
Meanwhile, the West Berkshire Council, a local authority in England, instructed residents who were tested for Covid-19 at the government-run Newbury Showground site between October 3-12, to undergo fresh tests after they were given false-negative test results. Close contacts of such residents have also been told to take another test.
The United Kingdom has so far reported 8,317,439 cases due to coronavirus disease which include 138,237 deaths, 6,802,672 recoveries and 1,376,530 active cases. On Thursday, the UK saw another high of 45,066 new cases while 157 patients died due to the viral disease. The daily tally has remained above the 40,000-mark for the past two days with 42,776 cases on Wednesday, the highest single-day spike since mid-July.
