Mistakes at a disgraced Covid testing laboratory that incorrectly told up to 43,000 people they were not infected with the virus began a week earlier than feared, it was revealed today.
The Immensa Health Clinic in Wolverhampton was given nearly £170million to analyse PCR swabs.
But last week health chiefs revealed 'technical issues' at the clinic, where workers have been filmed playing football and wrestling on shift, saw tens of thousands of tests wrongly processed.
The UK Health Security Agency, which took over from the now-defunct PHE, at the time said patients were given false negatives in the five weeks between September 8 and October 12.
But the agency last night announced the problems at the lab started six days earlier than feared, on September 2.
A spokesperson for UKHSA told MailOnline the correct duration of the lab mishaps were discovered as part of its ongoing investigation.
But it insisted the finding does not impact the number of coronavirus swab samples which were incorrectly processed. All affected people have been contacted, health bosses claimed.
Cases in the South West have already reached a record high and more than doubled in a week after the error was spotted.
There are concerns that the testing error has come at the worst possible time, with daily cases approaching peak-second-wave levels and the UK's booster programme struggling to get off the mark as the country heads towards a harsh winter.
Immensa Health Clinic, in Wolverhampton, has been suspended following an investigation revealing it may have incorrectly processed PCR tests. The lab (pictured) has been paid £120million by the taxpayer for its services
Employees at Immensa Health Clinic in Wolverhampton were filmed fighting with each other (pictured) in January. This was at the height of the first wave and when the country was in strict lockdown
NHS Test and Trace last week suspended testing operations at Immensa's lab and an investigation is being carried out to work out why it took a month to spot the testing error.
There are no technical issues with test kits themselves and people should continue to test as normal, the UK Health Security Agency (HSA) said.
Dr Jenny Harries, head of the HSA, said last week it was unclear what had caused the blunder.
Test and Trace has contacted everyone who could still be infectious to advise them to take another test, while close contacts who are symptomatic are also advised to take a test.
