Reliability of Foreign Testing Institutions Questioned
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on Sept. 24 that a total of 65 foreigners have been tested positive for COVID-19 after their negative test result submission this month. Concerns are mounting over false test results and the reliability of foreign COVID-19 testing institutions.
The 65 foreigners are divided into 33 from Uzbekistan, 18 from the Philippines, four from Bangladesh, five from Kazakhstan, four from Kyrgyzstan and one from Pakistan.
“The reversal might be because of factors such as the incubation period,” the Central Disaster Management. Headquarters explained, adding, “We are taking measures by monitoring those countries higher in frequency and ruling out foreign testing centers deemed less reliable.” It also said that even foreigners who submitted negative test results are tested in South Korea and the submission is an auxiliary measure for screening out more of those infected before entry.
According to experts, the reversal is due to the attributes of the testing rather than falsification or the like. “The testing is to detect the current status and, as such, infections may be detected after the passage of some time,” said National Cancer Center Professor Ki Mo-ran, adding, “In addition, the accuracy may be affected by an error during the course of testing.”