On Monday night, during the week when the majority of 535 lawmakers are expected to meet in a chamber to certify the results of the Electoral College, the Food and Drug Administration sent a message to Congress – available tests generate a fee alarming false negatives.
After a month-long delay at Capitol Hill to implement the Covid-19 test for members and staff, thousands of people working in the building have become dependent on the system due to increased travel and vacation exposure.
But the new FDA alert questions the effectiveness of tests administered by start-up Curative a few weeks after they became available in November, after a series of positive cases among lawmakers.
“The FDA warning does not raise any doubts about the accuracy of a positive test result. The potential concern concerns only negative test results, ”wrote Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Capitol’s chief physician, to the House and Senate offices.
“We look forward to receiving additional information from the FDA and our expert advisors in the coming days regarding any concerns about the continued use of this test for the Capitol community.”
For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, almost the entire House met on Sunday with less than ideal social distance and the use of masks. Deputy Kay Granger, R-TX, was on the floor voting and mixing with members, and promptly tested positive for coronavirus the next day.
“We asked for distance, this did not always happen. But we continue to urge members to come, vote, leave and not stay in plenary if not needed. This has not always worked as well as we would like and we continue to admonish members to note this. And we will continue to do so, ”Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday before certification.
Before this week, at least 60 lawmakers tested positive for the virus, according to a count from NBC News, and on Wednesday, when the two chambers of Congress will meet for a joint session that could last until Thursday, the most lawmakers will be in the same room at the same time.
“During the joint session, access to the plenary of the Chamber will be limited to members who are scheduled to speak during the joint session,” according to Tuesday night’s guidance from the Capitol doctor and the sergeant-at-arms.
The Capitol test, free for those with congressional identity cards, has been popular and highly reliable, especially on congress travel days and the past few weeks due to holidays.
“I’m a little alarmed that Fred Turner, the 25-year-old founder of Curative Inc., without medical training, was rewarded with the contract to test lawmakers, officials and the media at the United States Capitol,” said a Republican Senate aide. “I have trusted this service and am extremely optimistic that it is reliable.”
Curative, a Los Angeles-based startup co-founded by Turner, was originally created to detect sepsis – a deadly blood infection. The company has now secured a contract to conduct tests in a third of the United States government.
The testing company has not yet responded to NBC News’ request for comment on the exact amount of tests administered and more information about the contract signed with Congress.
“I am concerned that we will see many other members get sick,” said an adviser to the House of Democrats. “We have already witnessed members ignoring security guidance since the 117th (Congress) began.”
“With high tensions and people indoors,” the official fears that Wednesday’s Electoral College vote on Capitol Hill “could be its own super-disseminating event.”
