British health officials say more than 40K may have gotten COVID-19 false negatives

Thousands of British citizens may have received false negatives and been incorrectly told they don’t have the coronavirus after receiving negative PCR tests but positive rapid lateral flow device (LFD) exams, according to The Associated Press.

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service said about 400,000 samples had been processed through a now-suspended testing lab, but 43,000 people may have been given incorrect negative PCR test results between Sept. 8 and Oct. 12, The Guardian reported.

The Immensa Health Clinic Ltd. lab in central England has been suspended by the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) after the false negatives amid widespread backlash from the country’s residents.

British health officials have also recommended that anyone who got a negative PCR test result there in the first two weeks of the month get retested, along with their close contacts.

“We have immediately suspended testing at this laboratory while we continue the investigation,” Will Welfare, public health incident director, told Reuters. “There is no evidence of any faults with LFD or PCR test kits themselves, and the public should remain confident in using them and in other laboratory services currently provided.”

According to the BBC, the UKHSA has said it is working to determine the exact cause of the technical issues at the lab that resulted in false negative PCR results. An investigation is currently ongoing.

This news comes as the U.K’s Department of Health recorded 45,066 new infections in the last 24 hour period — the highest since July 20 this year, the Daily Mirror reported on Thursday.

Close to 2.8 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the U.K. since the pandemic began.

The country requires negative tests for both visitors and returning citizens to enter. However, the rules are set to change on Oct. 24, when fully vaccinated travelers from most countries can take quick lateral flow tests rather than a PCR test to enter its borders.