UK test error falsely tells 1,300 people they have coronavirus

(Reuters) – More than 1,300 people in Britain have been falsely told they are infected with coronavirus after a lab error in the government’s NHS testing and tracing system, the ministry told Reuters on Saturday of Health and Social Affairs.

“NHS Test and Trace contacted 1,311 people who were wrongly told that the results of the COVID-19 tests, taken between November 19 and November 23, were positive. A problem with a batch of test chemicals meant their test results were zero, ”a department spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

“Quick steps were taken to educate those affected and were asked to take another test and continue to self-isolate if they show symptoms.”

The lab error that led to the problem was an “isolated incident” and was under investigation, the statement said.

The government has announced an additional £ 7 billion ($ 9.31 billion) for its COVID-19 testing and contact tracing system as part of an expanded mass testing program.

The NHS testing and tracing system has come under heavy criticism after a series of notorious failures since its launch earlier this year, and ministers admit it has not performed as well as they had hoped.

In September, nearly 16,000 positive case records were lost from the system for several days, delaying contact tracing. The government blamed a “legacy” file system that cut records after around 65,000 rows of data.

Reuters analysis and interviews with contact tracers showed problems with the system, and that when examining non-family contacts, the proportion that is successfully traced is lower.

The UK has recorded around 1.6 million coronavirus cases and over 57,500 deaths, according to a Reuters tmsnrt.rs/3cBeEYg.

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