Australian COVID lab incorrectly informed patients they tested negative
A COVID-19 testing lab in Australia has apologized after it mistakenly informed more than 400 patients that they tested negative for the virus when they were positive.
St. Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney on Sunday said the false notification was sent through its pathology service, SydPath, to patients who had taken the test on Dec. 23 and 24.
“SydPath last night incorrectly messaged more than 400 people, advising them they had tested negative to COVID,” the hospital said. “These people had tested positive to COVID.”
The hospital said the incident was under investigation.
“An emergency response team is now investigating the cause of this mistake, which is believed to be human error,” the statement said. “We sincerely apologized to those impacted.”
SydPath medical director Anthony Dodds said the lab had been working on a “very large volume of tests” in the days leading up to the false notification.