The Trump administration has reportedly ordered an investigation into a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lab in Atlanta that was in charge of assembling coronavirus test kits after a scientist with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised concerns that the lab itself may be “contaminated,” possibly leading to faulty test kits, according to reports.
Timothy Stenzel, the director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health, went to the CDC lab in Atlanta last week to help “troubleshoot whatever technical problems might have been occurring with the tests” in an effort to get them to market faster, Axios first reported. Though not a lab inspector, Stenzel reportedly noticed “inappropriate procedures and possible contaminants” at the lab, raising his concerns to federal officials, which ultimately prompted the investigation.
The manufacturing process has since been moved, according to Axios.
Government officials told the outlet that test kits already distributed to labs around the country are still accurate but noted that problems with “certain test components were due to a manufacturing issue.”
“We worked hand in hand with the CDC to resolve the issues with manufacturing,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a statement to Axios. “FDA has confidence in t