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Testing centers stored samples in trash bags, provided false negative results or sometimes no results at all

OLYMPIA Attorney General Bob Ferguson today filed a lawsuit against Center for COVID Control, an Illinois-based company that ran several testing centers in Washington state, for providing invalid, false and delayed COVID-19 test results to Washingtonians, or sometimes providing no results at all. The companys unlawful practices included storing tests in garbage bags for over a week rather than properly refrigerating them, and backdating sample collection dates so that stale samples would still be processed.

Employees reported that the company instructed them to lie to patients on a daily basis when Washingtonians complained about their delayed results.

Fergusons lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, asserts the company violated the Consumer Protection Act when it deliberately failed to deliver prompt, valid and accurate results. Moreover, the company also violated the Consumer Protection Act when it made deceptive promises that it could deliver results within 48 hours. The Attorney Generals Office plans to file a motion for preliminary injunction soon to immediately stop the Center for COVID Controls unlawful conduct. The office will request a preliminary injunction hearing for the soonest available date.

Center for COVID Control contributed to the spread of COVID-19 when it provided false negative results, Ferguson said. These sham testing centers threatened the health and safety of our communities. They must be held accountable.

Center for COVID Control operated about 300 testing sites nationwide. The company had at least 13 testing sites in Washington, located in Lakewood, Tacoma, University Place, Seattle, Bellevue, Auburn, Lynnwood, Everett, Port Orchard and Yakima. The company provided COVID-19 tests to thousands of Washingtonians.

The company did not have a license to operate a business in any municipalities in Washington, except for Yakima, at the time they conducted COVID-19 tests. These testing sites paused all operations on or about Jan. 13, and are still closed.

The company advertised that they could provide COVID-19 test results within 15 minutes for a rapid antigen test, and within 48 hours for a more accurate PCR test.

However, in reality, the company was aware it could not actually process tests at this speed. Former employees reported that the company was receiving between 8,000 to 10,000 tests per day, and data entry staff could not keep up. The companys owners refused requests to hire more staff to keep up with the demand for testing.

Center for COVID Control stored week-old tests in garbage bags

Employees began storing tests in garbage bags and piling them up in various corners of the office with no semblance of organization. Some former employees reported regularly finding tests sitting in trash bags that were over a week old, never refrigerated properly and never tested by the companys lab.

Testing samples can only keep for so long a lab manager for the company reported that beyond three days, a sample is invalid. The companys Director of Operations instructed employees to start falsely post-dating samples to make them appear more recent than they actually were, and submit them for testing anyway so the company could potentially still bill insurance companies or the federal government for the tests.

As a result, Washingtonians received false negative results, invalid results or no results at all. One Yakima customer, who never received his test result from Center for COVID Control, reported that two of his family members received negative test results despite exhibiting severe symptoms of COVID-19 the day after being tested.

As the company fell further behind on processing samples, they were flooded with calls about late or non-existent results. Call wait times were sometimes three hours long. Center for COVID Control instructed employees to tell patients to expect results in 24 hours, even if there was no information on where the sample was or if it would ever be tested. If a patient called multiple times asking for their results, employees were instructed to lie and tell them that their results were inconclusive and they needed to take another test, allowing the company to bill for two tests.

Center for COVID Control has reportedly billed the federal government $124 million for tests for uninsured patients. The company frequently marked patients as uninsured, even if they were insured. Employees were instructed to mark patients as uninsured if the patient didnt provide their insurance information by the time of testing or if their insurance company wasnt listed on the companys data entry form. As testing ramped up, the company streamlined their data entry form and autofilled uninsured as the default insurance for all patients.

My team was instructed to lie to patients on a daily basis

Several Washington patients and former employees submitted complaints to the Attorney Generals Office about Center for COVID Control.

An Illinois-based employee, who was in charge of a data entry team, reports, I had been uneasy for nearly all of my short tenure at [Center for COVID Control], but as trash bags of tests piled up and my team was instructed to lie to patients on a daily basis, I had had enough. I first requested a demotion from my shift lead position, and, shortly after that, I quit.

One Washingtonian visited Center for COVID Controls Everett site for a rapid test. At the time, she had been exposed to COVID-19 and was experiencing symptoms. She was told her result would be available in two hours. After five hours passed, a testing employee told her the sample was lost and she had to take a second one.

Two hours after taking my second COVID-19 test, I still had not received a result from the Center for COVID Control. An employee told me that they could not find my sample again. However, one minute after being told my second test was lost, I received an email from the testing site telling me my COVID-19 test was negative.

Suspicious of the negative result, she booked another appointment at a Washington Department of Health testing site, and received a positive result.

Details of the lawsuit

Fergusons lawsuit asks the court to order Center for COVID Control to:

Assistant Attorneys General Daniel Davies and Will OConnor are leading the case.

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Washingtons Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the states largest law firm, the Attorney Generals Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washingtons 39 counties. Visit http://www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

Media Contact:

Brionna Aho, Communications Director, (360) 753-2727; Brionna.aho@atg.wa.gov

General contacts: Click here

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AG Ferguson files lawsuit against Center for COVID Control over invalid and false test results | Washington State - Washington State Coronavirus...

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Instruction

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

As Texas braces for the arrival of another winter storm, Sen. Ted Cruz pointed out that the cost of airfare to Cancun is not the only price rising right now, KTLA sister station KXAN reports.

Cruz posted Wednesday morning on his personal Twitter account, Inflation is out of control. He then listed the words gas prices, food prices and lumber prices next to upward arrow emojis. He concluded the tweet by writing, And tickets to Cancun are up 32%!

The tweet received mixed reactions online. Some Twitter users expressed amusement about the airfare comment, saying it shows Cruzs sense of humor since it makes light of his trip to Mexico last year at the height of another winter storm. He flew with his family to Cancun in Feb. 2021 while millions remained without power and water across the state. He later returned home after much uproar and called the trip obviously a mistake.

Cruz previously joked about taking the Cancun trip during remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference a few weeks after last years winter storm that hit Texas and again in a November tweet.

This latest social media post also stirred up much of the criticism Cruz faced last year, with people this time describing it as insensitive, unhelpful and not funny. State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat, tweeted, Lets reminisce about that time you abandoned the state when we were going through a catastrophic natural disaster that took the lives of 700 Texans.

After Cruz posted his tweet, the word Cancun trended Wednesday afternoon alongside the hashtag #TexasFreeze.

Nexstars KXAN reached out Wednesday to Cruzs office to ask for comment about why he tweeted this and whether he has any response to those saying online that the Cancun mention is inappropriate considering parts of Texas are bracing for another winter storm. KXAN also asked if he had a broader message he wanted to share. Neither Cruz nor anyone from his team has provided a response yet.

While his personal Twitter account featured other jabs Wednesday at CNN and Spotify, Cruzs official Senate account shared advice several times about how Texans can prepare for the impending winter storm. The account featured a link Wednesday afternoon to a website displaying power outages monitored by the Public Utility Commission of Texas as well as other resources, like links to where people can find road and weather condition updates.

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Ted Cruz tweets about rising Cancun flight costs amid concerns of another Texas freeze - KTLA

AMARILLO Maintenance crews in the Amarillo Districts 17 counties (Armstrong, Carson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Gray, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, and Sherman) spent the last two days pretreating roadways. This is in advance of another round of winter weather expected to impact the northern Texas panhandle Wednesday and the southern portion of the Texas panhandle Thursday, according to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo.

TxDOT's Amarillo District is responsible for 9,503 lane miles and 840 bridges. Of the districts 371 employees, 257 are dedicated to maintenance operations.

Once the storm hits, our maintenance crews will be working in shifts around-the-clock to ensure equipment is working, trucks are loaded with sand and salt, roads are treated as needed, staff is entering road conditions into DriveTexas.org, and so much more, says Wes Kimmell, director of operations for the Amarillo District.

TxDOT's priorities for snow and ice operations are:

"This helps first responders, as well as utility companies, to reach those in need, Kimmell says. Depending on the weather event, were also prepared to call on the assistance of the Texas A&M Forest Service. Just last week, they provided personnel and motor graders to help clear snow from more than 30 miles of roadway in Potter and Randall counties. We really appreciate all the partnerships we have that allow us to respond to winter weather in the best ways possible.

While TxDOT is prepared, it is equally important for drivers to be prepared:

Conditions on roadways can change rapidly, even with proactive measures. Theunpredictable and fast-changing severe Texas weather can still result in some snow and ice accumulation. If you must drive, check weather forecasts and visit DriveTexas or call 800-452-9292 to see conditions and closures on your planned route. If you find yourself stranded or facing an emergency, call 9-1-1.

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TxDOT Winter Weather Ready - Texas Department of Transportation

True, no major violence has been reported, but its had some outstanding deeds of disrespect. Ottawa police say theyre investigating several incidents for possible criminality.

Maybe thats because protesters urinated on the National War Memorial and danced on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

And because nearby residents complained of protesters defecating on their lawns.

And because staff and volunteers at a homeless shelter say they were harassed with demands for food, and one client was allegedly assaulted.

Or maybe because a large Mandate Freedom sign and an upside-down Canadian flag were hung on a statue of our beloved Terry Fox.

Meanwhile, a number of downtown businesses closed their doors as a safety precaution. Sunday, a news-media crew said it was surrounded and harassed to the point it vacated the area.

Protest organizers can insist all they want that these were isolated incidents but they have to wear it. When members of a protest bring out Confederate and Nazi flags, placards that employ foul language and advocate the overthrow of a democratically elected government, you know somethings wrong with the picture.

Protesters vow to stay as long as it takes, until Justin Trudeau resigns, the Liberal Party is abolished and/or the vaccine mandates are repealed.

It should surprise no one that the message has been lost among all this bluster and confusion. The convoy and the protest will be remembered as just another publicity stunt that featured idiotic acts of disrespect and unattainable demands.

They should all go home.

Im Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editors Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

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ROTHENBURGER: No surprise that trucker convoy lost control of the message - CFJC Today Kamloops