Massachusetts Lab’s Botched COVID-19 Tests Reportedly Led To Flawed Results At Numerous Nursing Homes
- September 08, 2020
Bloomberg (9/4, Brown) reported “botched COVID-19 tests from a single Massachusetts laboratory led to about 300 flawed and misleading results at nursing homes across the state, a casualty of the nationwide rush to get diagnostics to the public after initial attempts to supply them went awry.” The string “of false results from Orig3n Inc., a consumer DNA-testing company that pivoted to coronavirus detection during the pandemic, cost some nursing homes tens of thousands of dollars, reduced levels of available staff and sent panic rippling through employees and residents.” Following revelations about the erroneous results, “Orig3n was told by Massachusetts health officials to suspend testing Aug. 8, according to a person familiar with the matter.”