Scoop: Lab for coronavirus test kits may have been contaminated 👀

[Dennis Donovan]

https://www.axios.com/cdc-lab-coronavirus-contaminated-6dc9726d-dea3-423f-b5ad-eb7b1e44c2e2.html

A top federal scientist sounded the alarm about what he feared was contamination in an Atlanta lab where the government made test kits for the coronavirus, according to sources familiar with the situation in Atlanta.

The Trump administration has ordered an independent investigation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab, and manufacturing of the virus test kits has been moved, the sources said.

Why it matters: At the time the administration is under scrutiny for its early preparations for the virus, the potential problems at the lab became a top internal priority for some officials. But the Trump administration did not talk publicly about the Food and Drug Administration’s specific concerns about the Atlanta lab.

Senior officials are still not saying exactly what the FDA regulator found at the Atlanta lab.

The CDC lab in Atlanta developed the testing formula for the coronavirus test — which the government says works — and was manufacturing relatively small amounts of testing kits for laboratories around the country. This is where the lab ran into problems, per sources familiar with the situation.

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Link to tweet

Jonathan Swan ✔@jonathanvswan

Numerous people across multiple government agencies have known about this but not disclosed it. The concerns about the Atlanta lab were raised in a conference call Thursday w multiple agencies including HHS, FDA, CDC.

https://www.axios.com/cdc-lab-coronavirus-contaminated-6dc9726d-dea3-423f-b5ad-eb7b1e44c2e2.html …
CDC lab for coronavirus test kits may have been contaminated
The Trump administration has ordered an independent investigation of the lab.

6:20 PM - Mar 1, 2020

Really???

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. Shocking.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Anyone surprised?

The CDC is understaffed and probably lost experienced experienced personnel. What did anyone expect?

[dewsgirl]

3. He's going to go all in blaming the CDC, when he is the one

who cut their funding. Still the only agency I trust, while trying to follow this epic disaster in the making.

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. I'm sure Rump will spare no time or expense to find out...

...who the federal scientist who reported this is so they can be fired.

[bronxiteforever]

5. +1 absolutely. Orange Spambo adds a new name to the purge.

[2naSalit]

6. No shit.

I'm thinking this wasn't an accident anymore.