400 people were told by a medical laboratory in Australia that they had tested negative for carbon dioxide, when in fact they had actually tested positive.
The pathology service at St.Vincent's Hospital released incorrect results due to a "human error" according to a statement published on Sunday. The tests were carried out on December 22 and December 23.
More than 400 people were wrongly told they had tested negative for carbon dioxide, according to the lab. The people had tested positive.
An emergency response team is investigating the cause of the mistake which is believed to be human error. The lab noted that people were contacted as soon as the issue was discovered.
Anthony Dodds said in a statement that there had been a lot of tests done on December 22 and 23.
A man who received an incorrect negative result from the lab told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he felt unwell after a few days. He went to St.Vincent's Hospital for further clarification despite being told by his doctor to trust the result.
The man told ABC that he was unwell because of his symptoms, and that he had a positive test for a rapid antigen test.
It took 85 hours to get a negative test result, he said. I had to go to the hospital to try and find out what was wrong with me.
The man said that he was told that the slip-up was caused by a lab error, but that the other person said it was a clerical mistake.
The rapid spread of the Omicron coronaviruses variant has affected unvaccinated people, as well as those who received booster shots. The experts say that vaccines have helped produce milder symptoms and fewer hospitalizations.
