Guatemalans outraged by fake COVID-19 tests

CITY OF GUATEMALA – Lawmakers and a Guatemalan rights official on Monday called for an investigation into 30,000 fake COVID-19 tests purchased by the public health officials.

30,000 tests and test materials cost the Ministry of Health of the Central American state almost a million dollars, but they were determined to be unreliable.

Jordán Rodas, head of the state human rights agency, said on Monday “it is inconceivable that in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, there is corruption even in the purchase of COVID-19 tests.”

A private company from Guatemala says that it bought the tests from an American company, which denies that it sold them.

Edwin Asturias, a former who had pandemic efforts in Guatemala, asked Twitter count how many people could trust a false negative test result and inadvertently infect others.

Health Minister Amelia Flores has asked prosecutors to investigate representatives of the Guatemalan company and the former health officer for possible fraud, perjury and other misdeeds.

Guatemala had 171,289 coronavirus cases and 6,306 deaths.