SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At ABC10, we stand for you.
So when customers of the pop-up COVID-19 test company Center for Covid Control reached out to inform us they were getting test results back late or not at all, we listened and looked into it.
In late December, the California Department of Public Health told ABC10 it opened an investigation. At the time, the department said "any laboratory that tests specimens originating in California must have a California laboratory license.”
Now, the company says it is pausing all operations for job skills training and to improve customer service. The company also says training is aimed at ensuring they are following regulatory guidelines.
Back in December, the company didn’t reply to ABC10 reporter Van Tieu’s numerous attempts for comment on customer concerns. In a news release, the company’s founder and CEO Aleya Siyaj cited high demand due to the Omicron surge that put stress on the company’s staff and operations saying quote
“For this, we truly apologize and are committed to resolve these recent customer inconveniences and loss of confidence," Siyaj said in the release.
The company says testing sites should reopen on January 22.
The Center for Covid Control lists more than 275 locations across the country, promising results within 48 hours for PCR tests. Results for rapid tests come back verbally in 15 minutes or by email in up to three hours.
In our research, we discovered we were the first news organization to report on customer concerns about the Center for Covid Control.
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
Watch more from ABC10
How the pandemic has made Seasonal affective disorder worse | Health Beat with Brea Love.