In a Tuesday press release, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that her office had issued a warning letter to ClearMD Health, a private sector COVID-19 testing laboratory. According to the announcement, ClearMD charged visitors up to $500 for expedited results, but did not provide results in the promised timeframe.
The action comes amidst the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 nationwide. New York City is especially hard hit; according to The New York Times‘ tracking, New York City has seen a +235% increase in reported cases over the last two weeks.
The press release also noted that similar letters were issued to other companies – LabQ, Labworq, and Sameday Health – last week. The letters remind the recipients that false advertising is prohibited by law, and urges them to update their advertising and signage to reflect accurate testing timelines.
“ClearMD Solutions has been charging New Yorkers hundreds of dollars for expedited test results but has repeatedly failed to deliver on that promise. With COVID-19 positivity rates skyrocketing due to Omicron and New Yorkers gathering with loved ones for the holidays, companies need to stay true to their word and provide COVID-19 test results in the timeframes they are promising,” Attorney General James said.
