US coronavirus testing lab suspended by state after false positives

BOSTON (AP) — A Boston-based coronavirus testing lab that counts dozens of nursing homes among its clients has been suspended by the state after it returned nearly 400 false positive tests, state officials say.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health opened an investigation in early August after it became aware of an unusually high positive rate of COVID-19 tests reported by Orig3n Laboratory, the agency said in a statement Tuesday.

Retests found at least 383 false positives that were actually negative.

The state late last month notified Orig3n of “three significant certification deficiencies that put patients at immediate risk of harm,” including failure of the lab’s director to provide overall management and a failure to document the daily sanitising of equipment used for coronavirus testing.

The state issued the genetics lab a statement of deficiency last Friday, and the lab must now respond with a written plan of correction by September 14, according to the department.

An Orig3n spokesman told Gannett New England, which first reported the story last week, that the false positives were due to “human error” at the beginning of the laboratory testing process that caused some tests to become contaminated.

The spokesperson, Tony Plohoros, said the lab is working with state health officials to correct problems at the facility.

About 60 nursing homes have been clients of the lab, state authorities said.

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