Metro
The Center for COVID control accused of faking COVID-19 test results in new Washington lawsuit
The lawsuit introduced Monday and filed in King County Superior Courtroom mentioned the Heart for COVID Management “didn’t ship immediate, legitimate and correct outcomes,” made misleading guarantees of outcomes inside 48 hours, and reportedly instructed its staff to “mislead sufferers each day,” The Seattle Occasions reported.
It describes how the corporate expanded to about 300 areas all through america and picked up tens of hundreds of assessments a day.
“Heart for COVID Management contributed to the unfold of COVID-19 when it supplied false unfavorable outcomes,” Ferguson mentioned in an announcement. “These sham testing facilities threatened the well being and security of our communities. They have to be held accountable.”
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The lawsuit additionally mentioned the Heart for COVID Management saved assessments in rubbish baggage – relatively than correctly refrigerating them – backdated sample-collection dates so stale samples would nonetheless be processed and instructed its staff to lie when Washington residents requested about delayed outcomes.
The Heart for COVID Management didn’t reply to a request for remark Monday from the newspaper or from The Related Press. All of its areas are closed “till additional discover,” in response to its web site.
The corporate mentioned in a information launch on the web site that it was utilizing “this operational pause to coach further workers.”
The Heart for COVID Management websites had been working in Washington state since October and was more and more standard notably after the speedy unfold of the omicron variant prompted an increase in demand for assessments.
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Areas in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Lakewood, College Place, Auburn, Lynnwood, Everett, Port Orchard and Yakima in Washington promised free check outcomes inside quarter-hour for a speedy check and inside 48 hours for a extra delicate PCR check.
However not too long ago, prospects all through the nation have been complaining in regards to the heart’s delayed or lack of outcomes, main well being authorities in a number of states, together with California and Illinois, to launch investigations.
Metropolis officers in In Lakewood, Washington, issued a stop-work order at their native web site in mid-January after receiving complaints in regards to the firm and discovering it was working with no enterprise license, “amongst different issues,” town mentioned.
The corporate didn’t have a license to function a enterprise in any Washington cities besides Yakima, in response to the lawyer common’s workplace.
Ferguson’s workplace plans to file a movement for preliminary injunction “quickly to right away cease the Heart for COVID Management’s illegal conduct,” his assertion mentioned.
The lawsuit asks the court docket to order the Heart for COVID Management to pay civil penalties of as much as $12,500 per violation of the Shopper Safety Act and relinquish any income the corporate produced from its “illegal conduct,” along with completely closing all areas, the assertion mentioned.
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