After the results of corona tests conducted at the institute's lab turned out to be incorrect, the institute insists they were "tested and interpreted as positive by the Ministry of Health, according to a criterion that defines borderline cases as 'positive'"

• "The source of disagreement in these five tests lies in the interpretation of the results and not in their quality" // Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

Exchange of accusations between Weizmann Institute and Ministry of Health against incorrect results of corona examinations released from the institute. 

The health system claims that 49 subjects received incorrect laboratory results, which were positive for Corona, and that the source of the error was the "laboratory infection" of the Weizmann Institute. 

On the other hand, the institute was furious with the backlash, claiming that only five tests were found to be wrong, suggesting that the Ministry of Health was behaving in an improper manner. "Evasion of responsibility and 'guilty search', their place will not be recognized in science and medicine," commented.

Fourteen seniors from the Beit Hadar nursing home in Ashdod were hospitalized this morning (Saturday) in the Corona wards of Assuta Ashdod, Kaplan and Brazilian hospitals. This has been found to be a negative result for Corona. Because they spent three days in the heart of the Corona wards in hospitals, it was decided to hospitalize them in isolation, rather than regular wards, and continue to monitor them.

In addition, six Ashdod nursing staff were notified this morning that they were not sick in Corona after the tests taken during Passover Monday holiday came out negative.

"All six found positive were again tested and all were negative. In summary, the test round at the Citrus test on April 11 was not found to be positive. We are not letting go and this week another round of tests will be conducted for all inpatients and staff to review all and find positive cases , Thus protecting the hospitalized, the staff and the rest of the population, "the statement said.

Yesterday, negative results were obtained from several elderly people hospitalized in Assuta Ashdod. This aroused the suspicion of the infectious disease unit of the hospital, Dr. Tal Brosh, who quickly informed his colleagues: "I want to share the event that is currently taking place in Ashdod, because everyone should know and be careful. In the large geriatric center in Ashdod (Beit Hadar), there were two cases of corona and so in the context of the media 'Nursing Home Crisis', a survey was conducted for 600 patients and caregivers. Of these, 14 patients and several others emerged as positive, asymptomatic. It seems strange to me and repeated the tests, and the wonder and the wonder - they are completely negative. The other hospitals (Barzilai and Kaplan) performed both tests and a negative name. The false positive tests were carried out at the Weizmann Institute. The cause of the malfunction is being investigated. Recommends we all look suspiciously at the results of the mass surveys. "

The Health Ministry stated that "a problem was raised in one of the stages of the diagnostic process in the laboratory." While at the Weizmann Institute, they stated that "according to unequivocal instructions from the Ministry of Health, tests that have a boundary result - as it was in these cases - are determined to be positive."

However, some health ministry officials later said that the malfunction was caused by the Weizmann Institute's "laboratory infection".

A health ministry official noted that "this is not a technological or computing problem. When many positive cases are found in community tests, it is suspicious. This was the case, for example, when we started to check in Deir al-Assad. It is apparently possible for a nursing home to have many positive results."

Following this, the Weizmann Institute issued a firm response to "rumors, publications and briefings by various parties." 

In response, the Weizmann Institute of Science has made available to the Ministry of Health an advanced laboratory, which operates under the administration of the Ministry of Health. The information on 29 tests from the Zahavi nursing home claimed to have been tested in this laboratory - incorrect. These tests were not conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science And not 11, as was mistakenly reported, from the Beit Citrus nursing home found in this lab positive, and on further examination found negative, tested and interpreted as positive by the Ministry of Health, according to the criterion that defines borderline cases as "positive".

"The claim that the source of borderline results interpreted as positive is in a laboratory infection has been thoroughly investigated by us and the Ministry of Health - and was found to be manifestly incorrect. According to a Health Ministry report, the source of disagreement in those five tests ... lies in the interpretation of the results and not their quality.

"The Weizmann Institute of Science calls on the Ministry of Health to continue to work together, in true and fair partnership, in the national struggle in Corona, for the benefit and well-being of all Israeli residents. Evasion of responsibility and 'guilty search', their place will not be recognized in science and medicine."

The Ministry of Health said: "The Ministry of Health is working with the Weizmann Institute in full coordination and co-operation for success in the joint national mission."

In the meantime, according to an agreement signed only in recent days between the Ministry of Health and the Weizmann Institute, 1,000 laboratory tests will be performed daily at the institute for the office. However, in light of the incorrect test results, it was decided that the laboratory would not accept new tests now, and that the test protocols in question would be examined.

In the last day, 9,950 laboratory tests were performed - another decrease in the number of tests that has recently reached about 12,000. One of the explanations for dropping in quantity is stopping the tests at the Weizmann Institute.