Hundreds of reportedly incorrect COVID-19 test results sent to Australians in Sydney

A lab in Sydney, Australia, says a data processing error causes hundreds of false results to go out to people this week.

According to SydPath, a data error mistakenly sent out text messages to hundreds of people who had been tested for COVID-19 on December 22, 23 and 24, and told them their results were negative.

The results had not, at the time of the text messages, in fact been determined. Of the 995 people who had been tested and received a text saying they tested negative, 486 had actually tested positive.

The incorrect results were sent out as Australia sees a massive surge in COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, the Australian Department of Health reported 11,260 new cases.

Sydney has imposed lockdowns throughout 2021 as COVID-19 surges have occurred. One lockdown earlier this year lasted almost 100 days, and ended when up to 90 percent of people in Sydney were fully vaccinated.

SydPath announced it would reduce the number of tests it processes going forward to make sure they can handle the capacity in an accurate manner. SydPath also contacted and advised those who received the incorrect results to self-isolate until their real results are determined, according to its website.