What Happened At A CDC Lab Delayed COVID-19 Tests For Two Months

Cross-contamination in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention central laboratory slowed the production of test kits for the novel coronavirus.

Business Insider reports issues with the tests first emerged in late January.

That's when the CDC sent an initial batch to 26 public health labs across the country.

24 of those labs discovered false-positive results.

States have struggled to weigh the next steps in coronavirus response measures without tests amid more than two months of a nationwide delay.

Scientists with knowledge of the matter say CDC facilities charged with assembling the kits violated manufacturing practices.

That resulted in the contamination of one of the three test components used in the highly sensitive detection process.

Issues with the tests first emerged in late January.