40 Karnataka labs slapped Rs 20 lakh fine for delay in uploading COVID test results

Confirmation to the effect was given by Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan on May 24. The COVID test results of almost 10,000 people were delayed, despite the rule of uploading the results within 24 hours.

PTI reports that among the 40 labs which came under the radar of authorities, nine are state-run labs while 31 are private labs. According to the official statement, COVID test reports of over 10,000 people were put on hold for more than 24 hours due to the delay of the labs.

Shalini Rajneesh, the nodal officer in charge of COVID-19 testing shared the information with the Deputy Chief Minister, the statement added. Since May 8, these 40 labs had delayed uploading reports of 10,103 people for more than 24 hours.

Of these, 3,034 cases were those of government labs and the rest were from private labs. According to the release, the labs were fined Rs 200 for each case. An additional five labs were penalized for sharing positive reports before informing the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Stating that the labs are not understanding the gravity of the situation, the Deputy CM said that they (the labs) are violating the government's orders to give reports within 24 hours.