FBI officials urge recipients of COVID-19 testing at a New Jersey lab to get retested.
What We Know:
- On Friday of last week, a PSA was issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Newark’s office. The announcement stated in accordance with the FDA’s website, only nasal swab and saliva tests should be used to diagnose COVID-19. Antibody tests such as “rapid” finger-prick blood tests should not be used for diagnosing active cases.
- The PSA warns people who were recently tested at Infinity Diagnostic Laboratory in Ventnor, N.J., to get retested as soon as possible. In addition, if anyone received a finger prick blood test at the lab, they are asked to contact the FBI at NK-Victim-Assistance@FBI.gov.
- Thursday before the announcement was released, the FBI raided the lab for reasons unknown to the public. The following day a sign on the laboratory advertising “rapid 10-minute testing” was removed. New York City resident, Jodie Kirsch, told NBC Philidelphia she found her required form of payment to the lab questionable. “I thought it was a little weird that they didn’t accept credit cards, that I had to pay cash or Venmo,” she said.
- NBC also spoke to business owner Brian Strahl who stated he paid for his staff to get tested at Infinity. Circumstances have now made him unable to test the results. “I think giving fake inaccurate tests just makes a bad situation 10 times worse…you’re putting … people at risk, and you’re also giving people a false sense of security. I think it’s horrible,” Strahl told the station. He ensured his employees were retested at a local urgent care.
- COVID-19 cases are on a constant rise. It is important people receive accurate and reliable testing during pressing times like now. Prick blood testing detect antibodies for the virus but are not able to determine if a patient is positive or negative at that moment. As of yesterday, New Jersey has reported 371 579 cases, with 15,500 of them resulting in deaths, according to the state’s Covid-19 Information Hub.
Last week the U.S. set a new record in COVID-19 cases, infections, and hospitalizations. Monday night, over 15 million cases were reported across the nation.
