Durham Region Health Department says 34 people were given incorrect positive COVID-19 test results due to an error by SickKids Hospital.
Durham health said they were notified of the error on Monday.
“The Health Department was advised that the results were entered incorrectly as positive when they were in fact negative, impacting the results for 34 individuals,” a statement read.
The error involved cases being reported at two Durham District School Boards and at a child care centre.
“As soon as notification was received, Health Department staff immediately began contacting individuals, parents, schools and child care operators to let them know what had occurred,” the statement continued, adding the error also impacted the updating of numbers to the Data Tracker for Durham.
The SickKids laboratory told Durham health that the error was a “result of a reporting mechanism whereby the positive result was selected in error,” according to the statement. All of the tests were completed at the Lakeridge Health COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
All those who were impacted have been notified.
“We wish to reassure the public that this kind of error can only result in a false positive result and there is no risk of false negative results being communicated in connection to this error,” a spokesperson for SickKids said in an email to Global News.
“We believe this error would not have happened in the past and that no other test results from SickKids are affected.”
On Wednesday, Ontario reported 335 new coronavirus cases, bringing the provincial total to 48,087.
— With files from Ryan Rocca
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