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More than 1,300 people were mistakenly told they had coronavirus due to a laboratory error with the government’s test and trace service.
The Department of Health and Welfare (DHSC) said 1,311 people who took a test from 19 to 23 November across the UK were incorrectly told they had received a positive result. He said there was a problem with a batch of chemical tests that meant their results were null.
A DHSC spokesperson said: “Quick steps are being taken to notify those affected and asked to take another test and continue to isolate themselves if they have symptoms. This lab error was an isolated incident and is being investigated thoroughly to ensure it does not happen again. “
DHSC did not comment on whether the error affected the regional infection rate figures.
Duncan Larcombe, whose daughter received a wrong result, told the BBC that it was “more than an inconvenient mistake.” The director of the public relations company, from Maidstone, Kent, said his 14-year-old daughter had not left her room for four days, and that meals were left outside her door, until the family learned that the result was null on Thursday.
Test and Trace has been riddled with problems, with figures earlier this week revealing that roughly four in 10 contacts of those who test positive for the virus are still not being contacted.
