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| SydPath said it had since switched back to its automated system and would reduce the number of Covid swabs it would process to maintain the quality of its testing. Covid-19 testing clinics in Sydney, like this SydPath drive-through facility in Bondi Beach, have seen high demand. (Photo by= Getty Images) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] A Sydney lab had told hundreds of people they did not have Covid when tested positive, amid soaring infections in the area. BBC said that the mistake, which took place over the Christmas period, was due to a "data processing error."
The Australian state of New South Wales is seeing rising infection numbers following the arrival of the hyper-infectious Omicron Covid variant. Officials say an increase in swabbing tests has caused massive backlogs. Some of those affected have expressed concern that they may have unknowingly infected their loved ones over Christmas. The SydPath lab apologized in a statement on Tuesday and said the mistake, which affected 886 people in total, had happened as workers faced an "unprecedented" volume of tests.
It initially admitted earlier this week that it had erroneously told 400 people on Christmas Day that they did not have Covid. Only notified them about the mistake the following day. The blunder grew when SydPath later revealed that hundreds more had been prematurely told they had tested negative when they had not yet determined their results. On Tuesday, the lab said 486 people from this group had been confirmed as Covid-positive. In its latest statement, SydPath said it had moved from an automatic system to a manual one to deal with its increased workload.
