Outbreaks at a pair of Hamilton public schools have been closed after a local lab revealed a processing error tied to false positive COVID-19 tests.
The outbreaks at Lisgar Elementary School and Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School, which were declared on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26, respectively, have been rescinded by public health following the discovery of 14 total incorrect test results.
Two of the false positive tests were from individuals at each of the schools. The error was discovered in a “checks and balances” process following the disclosure of the results.
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“We sincerely apologize for the impact on those who have received incorrect test results and for the disruptive impact to the schools,” Dr. Marek Smieja, interim chief of the Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine Program (HRLMP) said in a release.
In total, seven people declared COVID-19-negative were later discovered to be positive while another seven whose results were initially positive turned out to actually be negative after a quality assurance procedure.
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All individuals who got the incorrect results have been contacted by a physician and given further guidance, according to the HRLMP.
Public health says it’s following up on the two rescinded school outbreaks through contact tracing and providing guidance to isolate those who received a false negative.
As of Wednesday, Hamilton’s public schools reported a combined 117 new cases in the last 14 days, with 166 in total since the fall 2021 return. Cases among students since the return account for 152 of that total.
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There have been five more outbreaks among the city’s educational facilities since Friday in Hamilton tied to 34 cases, bringing the total number of active surges to 11 as of Sept. 28, according to public health.
Since March 2020, the HRLMP has performed more than 762,000 COVID-19 tests amid the pandemic. Hamilton has had 24,519 positive COVID cases.