Oregon, BBB investigating COVID sites

CHICAGO – The Oregon Department of Justice and the Better Business Bureau launched investigations into an Illinois-based company that runs coronavirus testing sites across the nation.

The Oregon agency opened a civil investigation into the Center for COVID Control this week on suspicion of Unfair Trade Practices Act violations, spokeswoman Kristina Edmunson said.

The company operates testing sites across the nation, some of them “popups” run out of sheds and mobile storage units.

Many Americans have rushed to the sites amid a surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant and a national shortage of tests. But dozens of people nationwide have reached out to USA TODAY expressing concerns about the company.

Many said they discovered the sites by searching for nearby testing options on Google and were surprised by how the sites were run.

Some said they received their test results later than promised or not at all.

At least two people filed complaints about the Center for COVID Control testing sites to the Oregon Justice Department in October, USA TODAY reported last week.

They expressed concerns about the safety and legitimacy of the sites, alleging the sites offer “fake testing.” One said they were given a test labeled as having expired in June 2021.

The department declined to provide additional information on the investigation.