It has been confirmed that 54 residents from long-term care homes in Regina who tested positive for COVID-19, didn’t actually have the virus. The Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority have identified an instrument error at the Roy Romanow Provincial Lab, resulting in up to 255 invalid test results from August 18th to the 22nd. The samples have been retested and 206 are inconsistent with the first result.

The long-term care residents were re-tested and confirmed to be negative for COVID-19. The homes where the visitation restrictions have been lifted are the Regina Lutheran Home, Santa Maria, Extendicare Parkside, Extendicare Sunset, and the Transitional Care Unit of the Regina Pioneer Village.

Homes with a confirmed or a suspected case of the virus will remain at Level 3 visitation. They are Extendicare Elmview, the Complex Care Unit at Regina Pioneer Village, and the Wascana Rehab Centre Mental Health Unit.

SHA CEO, Scott Armstrong, apologizes for the error, and the effect it has had on patients who falsely tested positive, including the visitor restrictions at the long-term care homes. He adds that the bulk of the invalid tests came from Regina, but there were also patients affected from other areas of the province, but there are no specifics on that yet.

In order to confirm the 255 invalid tests are negative, a full reconciliation of the data is underway and should be completed on Wednesday.