"Though the quality control issue has only been observed in a small number of tubes of viral transport media, we adhere to the highest quality standards for COVID-19 testing in Washington state," Secretary of Health John Wiesman said in a release. "We are working with our partners to have them discard the product and will work to replace them as quickly as we can."
Officials said there is no health risk to patients, KIRO-TV reported.
UW Medicine noticed that the fluid in the kit that preserves the test specimen was an unusual color, prompting the investigation into potential contamination.
Although testing at UW Medicine confirmed that the issues did not affect coronavirus testing results, the tests were still recalled out of an “abundance of caution.”The Department of Health is working to replace the kits as quickly as possible.
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