Puerto Rico cancels contracts amid federal coronavirus probe

SAN JUAN – Puerto Rico’s governor announced Thursday that she has ordered the cancellation of all contracts awarded to people and companies whose names have been publicized as part of a local and federal investigation into an attempted purchase of $38 million worth of COVID-19 testing kits.

Gov. Wanda Vázquez spoke at the same time a former official with the island’s Health Department declined an offer of immunity as she testified before a legislative committee investigating the attempt to buy the testing kits amid an urgent need for widespread testing.

Vázquez’s turnaround comes a week after she held a press conference defending the purchase order that has since been canceled, with the government recuperating its $19 million deposit.

Among the contracts Vázquez ordered canceled are those awarded to Juan Maldonado de Jesús, former director of Puerto Rico’s Maritime Transportation Authority and attorney of Apex General Constructors, which had pledged to deliver one million testing kits from a company in Australia before the contract was canceled.

“It’s unacceptable that he tried to take advantage of the government’s crisis,” the governor said.

Maldonado could not be immediately reached for comment.

Vázquez reiterated that said she was not aware of the intended purchase when asked how it was possible her office did not know about a contract of that size.

“I cannot go into the details of each (contract),” she said. “I have to trust in the heads of government agencies.”

The contract with Apex General Constructors was first reported by local newspaper El Nuevo Día.

Apex, a small Puerto Rico construction company, had said it would source the kits from Promedical, a manufacturing company in Australia. Promedical issued a statement to The Associated Press saying it had not been in conversation or entered into a contract with Apex, adding that it sells rapid test kits to approved distributors for less than half the value identified by Apex.

Vázquez also announced that a federal official not yet identified would work with Puerto Rico’s health secretary for free to ensure that the local government’s response to the coronavirus crisis remains transparent.

“We’re not going to allow actions that raise doubts,” she said.

While Vázquez spoke, a Puerto Rico’s House of Representatives committee held a hearing to hear testimony from Adil Rosa, former auxiliary secretary of the island’s Health Department. It’s still unclear who approved the purchase of $38 million worth of testing kits that was canceled.

Health Secretary Lorenzo González has said that federal agencies including the FBI also are investigating the canceled purchase.

https://www.local10.com/news/national/2020/04/16/puerto-rico-cancels-contracts-amid-federal-coronavirus-probe/

Contamination at CDC lab delayed rollout of coronavirus tests

The failure by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to quickly produce a test kit for detecting the novel coronavirus was triggered by a glaring scientific breakdown at the CDC’s central laboratory complex in Atlanta, according to scientists with knowledge of the matter and a determination by federal regulators.

The CDC facilities that assembled the kits violated sound manufacturing practices, resulting in contamination of one of the three test components used in the highly sensitive detection process, the scientists said.

The cross contamination most likely occurred because chemical mixtures were assembled into the kits within a lab space that was also handling synthetic coronavirus material. The scientists also said the proximity deviated from accepted procedures and jeopardized testing for the virus.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/contamination-at-cdc-lab-delayed-rollout-of-coronavirus-tests/2020/04/18/fd7d3824-7139-11ea-aa80-c2470c6b2034_story.html

Coronavirus Test Kits Have Been Contaminated With Coronavirus, Says Report-Oops

Britain’s attempts to step up its testing for the novel coronavirus have suffered a setback after some key parts of the testing kits that were due to be imported were found to have been contaminated with the coronavirus. The Daily Telegraph reported that British labs have been told to expect a delay in the delivery some of the components of the kits after traces of the virus were detected on them. The British government has been criticized for its relatively low testing rates, which are way behind other wealthy nations like Germany, the United States, and South Korea. The government brought in foreign private firms to help produce thousands of kits, but it’s one of those suppliers—the Luxembourg-based firm Eurofins—that has told British labs that some of the components have been contaminated. It’s not clear exactly how the contamination was allowed to happen, but government health sources told the newspaper it shouldn’t cause a big delay.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/coronavirus-test-kits-have-been-contaminated-with-coronavirus-says-report