Testing f irm rejects TV claims
THE Northern Irish company due to carry out Covid tests at Dublin Airport this week has contacted the DAA – the airport’s operator – to ‘strongly refute’ allegations of ‘serious failings’ made in an undercover TV documentary.
Channel 4’s Dispatches recently broadcast the experience of an undercover reporter who worked at Randox as part of i ts examination of the British government’s handling of the test and trace system.
It alleged there were ‘serious failings’ at Randox’s Co. Antrim Covid-19 lab when samples sent from across the UK were handled.
The medical diagnostics company will operate a walk-in centre close to the Terminal Two car park today, charging €99 for tests that will deliver results in 24 to 48 hours.
Shortly after Monday night’s documentary aired, Randox contacted the DAA to deny all claims made by Dispatches. ‘Representatives of Randox have been in touch with DAA today to indicate that Randox “strongly refutes” the allegations made regarding Randox’s laboratory operations within the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary,’ a DAA spokesperson said.
The DAA went on to say that Radox claims it ‘operates to carefully structured and robust scientific processes, developed over almost 40 years, to maximise output, minimise error and to ensure the provision of safe, accurate, reliable and timely Covid-19 results at scale’.
The spokesperson said the DAA engaged with about 20 private firms to provide Covid19 testing at its airports, adding: ‘DAA subsequently entered into separate property agreements with Randox and RocDoc to enable them to operate at Dublin Airport.’
Sophie Boyd, project manager for Randox’s testing service at Dublin Airport, said the company had ‘significant’ capacity for PCR tests, the only system now approved by the Government. PCR tests work by detecting specific genetic material within the virus.
The Dispatches documentary claimed samples sent to Randox for analysis were sometimes not unpacked properly and accidentally discarded, with the reporter alleging swab samples were mistakenly being thrown into the waste with cardboard packaging.
The reporter also claimed that one particular type of red-lidded test sent to Randox frequently leaked.
In a scathing response, Randox described the programme as ‘hatchet-job journalism of the worst kind’. It added: ‘Randox and our staff do find the use of a covert reporter within our workforce to be disingenuous.
‘By default, that reporter had very limited access, very limited understanding and, it appears, a particularly negative mindset. Channel 4 could easily have asked for more open access and ensured much more balanced and reputable journalism.’
From today, officials at the testing facilities will be able to carry out a maximum of 12,000 tests a day, with capacity set to rise to 15,000.