PCR test samples (illustration Covid-19).

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Ichiro Ohara / AP / SIPA

The purchase of 30,000 fraudulent Covid-19 screening tests by the Guatemalan Ministry of Health sparks an outcry in the country.

The anti-corruption prosecution was informed of this fraud in which the American manufacturer Atila Biosystems denies being involved.

The government of Alejandro Giammattei acquired these tests in mid-2020 for almost $ 1 million through a local middleman, Kron Científica e Industrial.

The scandal erupted at the end of last week after the Minister of Health, Amelia Flores, seized the anti-corruption prosecution, implicating the leaders of Kron and the former financial administrative director general of the ministry of Health, Ronaldo Estrada, became Deputy Minister of Culture.

"Invalid results"

The Kron company bought the tests from Atila Biosystems INC., Based in the United States, but according to the minister, the reagent cannot be used for performing PCR tests.

The minister said that the tests purchased "do not correspond to the quality promised and produce invalid results", neither positive nor negative.

On Tuesday, Guatemalan Vice President Guillermo Castillo called on the government to fire the officials involved.

"It is very regrettable that this type of fraudulent negotiations take place within the State (…), it is a crime against the health and the life of the people", he declared.

First upcoming vaccines

In a statement on Monday, the US manufacturer said the shipping numbers and colors of the reagent tubes in the batch did not match production destined for Guatemala.

"Atila Biosystems is shocked to learn of the fraud committed against the people of Guatemala by a former salesman who allegedly tampered with the tests," the statement said.

Guatemala has recorded 172,072 cases of Covid-19 and 6,315 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to official data released on Tuesday.

The country should receive this Thursday 5,000 first doses of vaccines from the Moderna laboratory, a donation from Israel, announced the Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Pedro Brolo.

These first doses will be administered to frontline health workers, he said.

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