A lab in Kenya investigates COVID-19 discordant results

COVID-19 |

The Lancet Group of Labs-East Africa has explained the circumstances under which some COVID-19 cases which they tested positive turned out negative after a repeat of testing was done at other laboratories in Kenya.

In a statement issued by Lancet Kenya, the lab authorities indicated that whereas investigations are ongoing, this does not necessarily cast doubt on the quality of the outcomes from any laboratories.

"it is important to bear in mind that discordance in results between different labs and different tests do not in any way undermine the quality and accuracy of the respective labs or tests.

This is because such discordances are well recognised within the scientific community with well-established scientific reasons to explain the differences in results," the Groups chief executive officer (CEO), Dr Ahmed Kalebi said.

The lab disclosed that they are looking at levels of RNA witnessed in the samples tested due to variations in sample collection techniques, conditions of the sample material collected and handling including how the samples are processed and extraction of RNA from the samples.

"We are looking at difference in sensitivity between FDA-approved seegene assay used in our laboratory and assays by different manufacturers used in other labs due to many technical reasons inherent to these assays," Lancet says.

Similarly in Uganda, the health ministry knocked off nine cases that had earlier been confirmed to be positive yet they were negative from COVID-19 results record.

The health minister, Dr.Jane Ruth Aceng explained that these samples were picked from the Kampala area and tested at Makerere University Laboratory but later found to have discordance when some were re-tested at the Uganda Virus Research Institute laboratory in Entebbe.  She added that the error was isolated and doesn't affect other previously conducted tests.