Photo: VCG
A third-party testing agency's employee was found to have lied about nucleic acid test results before a formal report came out in a large-scale test in Longyao, North China's Hebei Province in January, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Sunday.
Zhang Xianbo, head of health bureau in Longyao, Xingtai told CCTV that amid urgent testing of all local residents over two days, local authorities hired a third-party testing agency on January 11 to conduct nucleic acid tests of more than 300,000 residents because of severe lack of local testing capability.
The company's employee surnamed Zhai showed Zhang the company's testing qualification document via WeChat, according to Zhang.
In a rush, Longyao health authorities didn't sign a formal contract with the agency, named Jinan Huaxi Medical Laboratory, as Zhai said that the company's seal was in East China's Shandong Province where the company is based, CCTV reported.
After testing was completed on January 13, Zhai reported test results to Zhang via WeChat, saying that all residents were negative. Zhang asked Zhai to immediately submit relevant data into a system so that villagers can see the result, and Zhai replied that he could only submit data two days later when another colleague is available, according to media report.
Without a formal report, Zhang reported to higher-level authorities that "all residents are negative," CCTV reported.
On January 16, Zhai made a different claim, saying that a set of samples had tested positive. The county immediately carried out an investigation, which found two confirmed cases and one asymptomatic case, and on Saturday another confirmed case - who is a close contact of the above-mentioned three cases - was reported.
Wang Pingyuan, general manager of Jinan Huaxi Medical Laboratory, told CCTV that because of the large amount of samples, the company finished all tests at 8 pm January 16 and told Zhai testing results after 8:30 pm. "We should have a formal report with our company seal," Wang said, noting that "we don't give oral test results."
Fang Xing, an official with Jinan Public Security Bureau, told CCTV that when Wang asked Zhai whether he had told the client the positive result, Zhai said that he had told Longyao health authorities on January 14 that all are negative. "As that has shown that Zhai lied about test results act on his own without getting formal report from the company," Fang said.