Fake COVID-19 test kits seized at LAX

[IceWizard]

Photo by U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Posted: Mar 14, 2020 / 05:46 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 14, 2020 / 05:46 PM CDT


LOS ANGELES (KSEE/KGPE) — Customs officers intercepted a package 
at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday containing suspected 
counterfeit COVID-19 test kits arriving from the United Kingdom, 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Saturday.

CBP officers found six plastic bags containing various vials while 
examining a package labeled “Purified Water Vials” with a 
declared value of $196.81.

A complete examination led officers to find vials filled with a 
white liquid and labeled “Corona Virus 2019nconv (COVID-19)” 
and “Virus1 Test Kit,” said Jaime Ruiz, Branch Chief for 
CBP’s Office of Public Affairs.

The shipment was turned over to the U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration for analysis.

Ruiz said the public should be aware of bogus home testing 
kits for sale either online or in informal direct to consumer settings.

Authorized diagnostic testing for COVID-19 is conducted in 
verified state and local public health laboratories across the U.S