UNITED STATES—On July 20, the Department of Public Health (DPH) released information indicating that 90 COVID results were false positives from a Connecticut lab. This brought the total number of COVID cases in Connecticut to 48,232, but the DPH indicated it would not remove the number until other false positives were discovered, if any.
The Department of Health found discrepancies in one of their testing systems which were causing false positives. A total of 144 tests were conducted between June 15 and July 17, where 62.5 percent of the tests were deemed inaccurate. Most of the people tested were residents of nursing homes in Connecticut. Deidre S. Gifford of the Department of Social Services, stated the following about the results:
“We have notified the healthcare facilities for everyone who received a false-positive test result from our state laboratory. Accurate and timely testing for the novel coronavirus is one of the pillars supporting effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Those residents who received false-positives are scheduled to be retested.
Changes to the testing system have been used in the state since June 15. The fallacious testing was reported to the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Public Health, and the test manufacturer. All future testing will undergo rigorous analysis and, if necessary, further retesting.
As of July 30, the COVID Death Toll in Connecticut stands at 4,431.
