Makerere investigates nine false Covid-19 results
Makerere University is carrying out an independent investigation into how nine people tested positive for Covid-19 at the institution’s laboratory but turned out negative at Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI).
This follows communication from the President and the Ministry of Health that nine cases that had erroneously been recorded as positive have been discounted from the national tally.
Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor, yesterday said Makerere University’s laboratory team did everything right but wants to establish where the mistake originated.
“I think this is a serious matter. We do not want to escalate it, and we are investigating to get to the truth, so we request all stakeholders to give us time to investigate the issue so that we can give a concrete clear answer,” Prof Nawangwe said .
“We know that the laboratory which is testing is one of the best in Africa, and it would be unfortunate if indeed there were errors. Errors occur, it is natural, but lets us investigate and be clear because our team says they did everything correctly and they do not know how that could have happened,” he added.
Prof Nawangwe said the public will be informed of the outcome hopefully within a week.
Background
While giving an update on the pandemic at the weekend, Dr Ruth Jane Aceng, the Health minister, said between June 3 and 4, a batch of 50 samples from within Kampala were analysed in Makerere laboratory and showed positive results.
However, when the batch was retested at UVRI, nine of the previously positive cases turned negative.
“The results were communicated to the respective individuals as part of the infection prevention and control and the necessary measures undertaken. However, as part of routine quality assurance procedures, some samples were sent to Uganda Virus Research Institute for re-testing. There was discordance in some of the samples in this batch. This then required the entire batch to be retested,” Dr Aceng said.
According to the Health ministry, errors in handling test samples is not uncommon in laboratory management, and that is why multiple tests are done.
Dr Aceng said some of the factors that could lead to errors in test results include limitations of the test itself, and processing errors.
“Errors leading to false results can be classified into; errors before analysis, which may arise during sample collection, packaging, shipping, opening, etc; errors during sample analysis, processing, or sample analysis and errors after analysis during reading results, analysing results, interpretation, decoding, or making the right inference/ conclusions or the results,” she said.
