A lab belonging to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that produces kits that test for the deadly coronavirus may have been contaminated, a top scientist has revealed, setting off a series of actions that could result in further delays in production of the test kits, according to Axios:

“The Trump administration has ordered an independent investigation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab, and manufacturing of the virus test kits has been moved, the sources said.”

The Trump administration is already under fire for what some have called inadequate preparation for coronavirus, and with new cases discovered over the weekend in three more states — Florida, Illinois, and Rhode Island — news of a contamination at a major CDC facility will only add to growing fears that the White House isn’t prepared for the crisis.

FDA Administrator Stephen Hahn issued a statement regarding the contamination of the CDC lab that read in part:

“Upon learning about the test issue from CDC, FDA worked with CDC to determine that problems with certain test components were due to a manufacturing issue.

“We worked hand in hand with CDC to resolve the issues with manufacturing. FDA has confidence in the design and current manufacturing of the test that already have and are continuing to be distributed. These tests have passed extensive quality control procedures and will provide the high-level of diagnostic accuracy we need during this coronavirus outbreak.”

This isn’t the first problem that has arisen with the test kits for coronavirus. On February 12, other U.S. labs reported they were having issues trying to validate the CDC’s diagnostic test for the virus.

For his part, President Donald Trump once again tried to blame Democrats for his own incompetence, posting this Tweet Monday morning:

Featured Image Via NBC News