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More than 1,300 people in Britain have been inaccurately informed that they have been infected with the coronavirus after a lab error in the government’s NHS testing and tracking system, the Department of Health and Welfare told Reuters Saturday.
“NHS Test and Trace contacted 1,311 people who were mistakenly told that the COVID-19 test result, carried out between November 19 and November 23, was positive. A problem with a batch of test chemicals meant that the test results were null, “a spokesperson for the department said in an e-mailed statement.
“Quick action was taken to alert those affected and they were asked to take another test and continue isolating themselves if they have symptoms.”
The laboratory error that led to the problem was an “isolated incident” and was being investigated, the statement said.
The government has announced an additional £ 7 billion ($ 9.31 billion) for its COVID-19 test and contact tracing system as part of an expanded mass testing program.
The NHS Test and Trace system has come under heavy criticism after a string of high-profile failures since its launch earlier this year, and ministers admit it hasn’t worked as they had hoped.
In September, nearly 16,000 positive case records were lost from the system for several days, resulting in a delay in finding contacts. The government blamed a “legacy” file system that cut records after about 65,000 lines of data.
Reuters analysis and interviews with contact trackers have shown problems with the system and that when looking at unfamiliar contacts, the percentage that is successfully tracked is lower.
The UK has had around 1.6 million coronavirus cases and over 57,500 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.
“NHS Test and Trace contacted 1,311 people who were mistakenly told that the COVID-19 test result, carried out between November 19 and November 23, was positive. A problem with a batch of test chemicals meant that the test results were null, “a spokesperson for the department said in an e-mailed statement.
“Quick action was taken to alert those affected and they were asked to take another test and continue isolating themselves if they have symptoms.”
The laboratory error that led to the problem was an “isolated incident” and was being investigated, the statement said.
The government has announced an additional £ 7 billion ($ 9.31 billion) for its COVID-19 test and contact tracing system as part of an expanded mass testing program.
The NHS Test and Trace system has come under heavy criticism after a string of high-profile failures since its launch earlier this year, and ministers admit it hasn’t worked as they had hoped.
In September, nearly 16,000 positive case records were lost from the system for several days, resulting in a delay in finding contacts. The government blamed a “legacy” file system that cut records after about 65,000 lines of data.
Reuters analysis and interviews with contact trackers have shown problems with the system and that when looking at unfamiliar contacts, the percentage that is successfully tracked is lower.
The UK has had around 1.6 million coronavirus cases and over 57,500 deaths, according to a Reuters tally.
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