No sanctions over deficiencies at California virus test lab

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s new coronavirus testing laboratory won’t face sanctions for what state officials called “significant deficiencies.” The state Department of Public Health said Monday that the Valencia Branch Laboratory near Los Angeles was found to have problems with training and record-keeping but authorities couldn’t substantiate reports stemming from a whistleblower that the lab destroyed data. The department also says all deficiencies have been fixed. The $25 million lab is run by a private company. It opened in October 2020 and has processed millions of COVID-19 tests. The state has renewed the lab’s $1.7 billion contract, saying it’s concerned that testing resources will be available if there’s a virus surge this winter.