SCMP/Tribune: Coronavirus: US university stops using Chinese testing kits after some found to be contaminated
* University of Washington School of Medicine had airlifted tens of thousands of kits from Shanghai factory
* Liquid in small percentage of vials changed colour, an indication of bacterial growth. Some appeared cloudy, too
The University of Washington School of Medicine went to extraordinary lengths to airlift tens of thousands of Covid-19 testing kits from China during a nationwide shortage of sampling swabs and the liquid that preserves specimens for diagnostic testing.
In short: a Seattle importer used a business associate in China, who had a connection to a doctor in the province hardest hit by the disease, to secure testing kits from a Shanghai factory and then have them flown stateside as soon as possible on an Amazon-chartered plane. UW Medicine allocated US$125,000 to purchase the kits.
The story of the testing swabs illustrated what authorities are willing to risk to secure more supplies for Covid-19 testing, which experts say will need to ramp up before distancing restrictions in Washington can be safely removed.
Late last week, the saga took a dour turn.
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WNU Editor: My brother works in the bio-tech field in the Bay Area (San Francisco), and is now involved in producing a component that is vital in test kits. He told me last week that everyone he knows are well aware that some of the medical products coming from China were dangerous. He specifically pointed out their test kits for Covid-19. The Europeans have also realized that there is a problem with Chinese made medical kits (see above video).
