Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that U.S. foreign and security affairs officials warned Nevada against using the new Chinese-made coronavirus reagent because of privacy and safety concerns for patients.
The Associated Press reported Thursday (Oct. 15) that it involved 250,000 kits donated by the United Arab Emirates. Group 42, an artificial intelligence company in the UAE, and Shenzhen-based BGI Group of China partnered to set up a lab in the UAE in March to produce a rapid test system for the new coronavirus.
The UAE proposed to establish a laboratory in Nevada capable of performing a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on viral specimens, and donated 250,000 kits to the state of Nevada.
William Puff, a representative of the U.S. Embassy’s Department of Homeland Security in the United Arab Emirates, emailed Nevada officials on April 20 that the Group 42 test, developed in conjunction with the Chinese company, was “close to 60% accurate,” far below the company’s claim of 90%.
Pugh also expressed concern about the potential threat of sharing medical specimens with UW Genetics. He said, “The embassy is concerned about Group 42’s relationship with the Chinese government and UW Genetics, and is concerned about patient privacy,” and that “we have been instructed by the Department of Homeland Security that we should reject Group 42’s testing.
The Associated Press said U.S. intelligence agencies warned that foreign governments, such as China, could use patient specimens to learn about a patient’s medical history, condition or genetic information.
Nevada’s government responded quickly. Governor Steve Sisolak directed Nevada hospitals in April not to use kits provided by the United Arab Emirates, and the state rejected a proposal by the UAE to set up a lab. Michelle White, Sisolak’s chief of staff, said in an email that the state “strongly recommends that you immediately cease these tests and any use of the testing equipment.”
University of Nevada Medical Center spokesman Scott Kerbs told The Associated Press that the medical center has used 20,000 specimen collection kits provided by Group 42, but has never used 250,000 donated kits because they don’t match the center’s systems.
UW Genetics told the AP that it was not aware of Group 42’s donation to Nevada and had no direct contact with Nevada. The new coronavirus reagents produced by UW Genetics are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in emergency situations and are being used by some U.S. laboratories, the AP said.
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