People going to Center for COVID Control sites across the United States have raised questions about numerous issues: dirty sites, long lines, crowded rooms, workers not wearing masks or gloves, workers trying to charge for tests that should be free or telling people to put down that they dont have insurance when they do, among other problems. The Center for COVID Control and Doctors Clinical Lab have also faced scrutiny from other agencies. Clickhereto support Block Clubwith atax-deductible donation. Longtime entrepreneurs Akbar Syed, 35, and his wife, Aleya Siyaj, 29, run the Center for COVID Control and, in recent months, have been sharing photos and videos on social media of their growing wealth. Give us another shot, Syed wrote. There are now around 3,000 vaccination sites across England, with 99% of the country living within ten miles of a site. In a previously issued statement, they said that due to their rapid growth and the unprecedented demand for testing, they werent able to meet all their commitments. Some customers have said they never received results for their COVID-19 tests, and some say they got negative results via email before they had even taken the tests. Change my preferences You do not need to be registered with a GP. Center for COVID Control sites test thousands of people per day, and many have gotten results as expected. A former employee of the Center for COVID Control said that isnt happening at sites. The locally based company has now been sued by three states' attorneys general and is being investigated by the FBI. Akbar Ali Syed and his wife Aleya Siyaj founded the Center for COVID Control in December 2020. April 19, 2023 Updated 5:43 PM PT. The lawsuit filed against Illinois-based Center for COVID Control, which is co-owned by Akbar Syed and Aleya Siyaj, says that the company claims to offer "crucial COVID-19 tests". Trevin Cox, of Logan Square, stopped by a Center for COVID Control testing site Dec. 23 after being exposed. Aleya Siyaj and Akbar Ali Syed. Listen to Its All Good: A Block Club Chicago Podcast: Some migrants have to wait days at police stations as officials look for shelter for them, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. COVID-19 most often causes respiratory symptoms that can feel much like a cold, the flu, or pneumonia. He said he does not remember who gave them that misinformation, but testing site workers started asking for insurance details once they had the right information. The person who was formally associated with the Center for COVID Control said testing site owners were paid per test they provided to the lab to be processed, but the payment was called a collection fee. He was told the payments were based on a government-set rate per test, he said. In turn, the testing sites are paid for providing samples to the lab to be processed, said a person formerly associated with the Center for COVID Control. Thanks for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Clickhereto support BlockClub with atax-deductible donation. So I opened up a covid testing site than bought the lab and now i have 65 sites., In an Aug. 29 video where Syed talks about buying a Countach, a luxury sports car, someone asked, Oil money? Syed replied, Not even sure what means.. but no covid money., In another post, someone asked Syed how could he afford all those cars. Covid testing, Syed replied. King World Productions Inc. 2023 Inside Edition Inc. and CBS interactive Inc., Paramount companies. Insurance statements reviewed by Block Club show the lab has, in multiple instances, billed insurance companies $325 for a PCR test, $50 for a rapid test, $50 for collecting a persons sample and $80 for a supplemental fee.. Click here to tell Block Club about your experience. The complaints have alleged they didnt get test results, the test results were inconclusive or they paid for expedited testing results, but did not get results in the time that was promised, Bernas said. Several other Chicago-area labs that conducted coronavirus testing and received tens of millions in federal reimbursements are under investigation by state and federal officials. Now, Its Temporarily Closing Amid Federal Investigation And Mounting Complaints, Be Cautious Around COVID-19 Testing Pop-Ups, Illinois Attorney General Warns, COVID Test Shortage Forces Chicagoans To Hell-Hole Pop-Up Sites With Unmasked Workers, Missing Results. About three weeks ago, we decided we were gonna stop PCR testing because of just the overwhelming amount of tests that were coming in, Syed said in a video he posted Jan. 6 to the YouTube page for his wedding video business. The Oregon lawsuit echoes claims made by the companies former employees, customers and other states attorneys general. Nature's Grace and Wellness and budding company Green & Randle want a special-use permit to open a dispensary in a long-vacant storefront on Belmont Avenue. The company has also failed to maintain the confidentiality of patient information, failed at accurately identifying patient samples that were sent in for PCR tests and failed at documenting complaints and problems reported to the lab, according to the report. At the very least, it is worth a heightened level of scrutiny to see if there is any quid pro quo playing out here, White said. Some people are just concerned about the lifestyle that you're living, can you talk about the lavish lifestyle, Guerrero asked. On Saturday, "federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at the companys main office as part of what appears to be a similar investigation," the spokesperson said in a statement. The list below lists approved sites; appointment availability will vary over . The companies will keep making money for the rapid tests they collect, he said. Block Club Chicagos coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Private health insurers also paid the lab. A company spokesman had denied former workers allegations. So if youre giving out wrong results or fake results thats a huge issue.. Youre a huge role in people knowing that theyre positive and not spreading it. We must make sure they never do business in our state again. The website was updated after reporters contacted the Center for COVID Control and Doctors Clinical Lab. The Center for COVID Control is a management company to Doctors Clinical Laboratory. Out of the three [tests] I took that week, theirs was the only one I was told negative and the one I waited the longest for, she said. They opted not to take the tests or turn them in but about five hours later, every member of the family was emailed a negative result from the company, he said. Email Newsroom@BlockClubChi.org. CENTER FOR COVID CONTROL: How a wedding photographer and a donut shop owner got millions in a COVID testing operation now under investigation. 'COVID MONEY':How a wedding photographer and a donut shop owner got millions in a COVID testing. CHICAGO -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblumsued Illinois-based Center for Covid Control and its primary lab, Doctors Clinical Lab, for "deceptively marketing testing services" and violating the state's Unlawful Trade Practices Act. A laboratory that investigators say is partnered with the COVID testing company, Center for COVID Control, has received more than $141 million in taxpayer funding to date. But, in general, the companys owners were good to people they worked with and everyone tried to comply with regulations, former employees said. Videos provided to Inside Edition by another former employee show piles of garbage bags. Its not useful if they dont give you the results that were promised, Bennett said. Staff at other sites might be doing it because there is a misunderstanding, he said. Some of the sites were owned independently but operated in partnership with the chain under its name and with its guidance. A commercial for the organization noted The Center for Covid Control already has over 200 testing sites nationwide, making us one of the largest testing organizations in the country.. Now, Its Temporarily Closing Amid Federal Investigation And Mounting Complaints, Be Cautious Around COVID-19 Testing Pop-Ups, Illinois Attorney General Warns, Pritzker Vows To Shut Down Fly-By-Night Pop-Up COVID Testing Sites, Calling Them An Enormous Problem, COVID Test Shortage Forces Chicagoans To Hell-Hole Pop-Up Sites With Unmasked Workers, Missing Results. Covid-19's full death toll is nearly three times higher than reported, WHO data suggests. Robert McNees, of Rogers Park, stopped by a Center For COVID Control site with his family Dec. 22. At another point, she said, Which is scary because if you get that negative test and you havent received others, youre probably going back out into the population like everything is OK. While that negative didnt mean a whole lot to me, I was angry for the sake of others who may have been getting it and therefore spreading it. Customers have also reported being told to not put down their insurance information even if they have insurance. In instances where people called to complain, workers would pick up the phone and identify themselves as working for the Center for COVID Control, and wouldnt always log the complaints, according to the report. Line at a Massachusetts Center for Covid Control test site in early January 2022 With federal and state authorities either unwilling or unable to provide rapid testing options, people were. The CDC will reduce the number of data elements that hospitals must report and the reporting frequency from daily to . Syed has also made references to the business on his TikTok, saying hes been able to buy multiple luxury sports cars due to his work with COVID-19 testing, and writing that he owns dozens of testing sites and a lab. Doctors Clinical Lab is registered under another persons name in state records, but federal documents and multiple former employees and business partners said Siyaj and Syed run the lab and Center for COVID Control. While that confusion has unfolded, Akbar Syed, Siyajs husband, who represents himself as a leader of the company, has posted on social media about buying luxury sports cars thanks to covid money.. A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health said the agency is investigating complaints against the lab. Regrettably, due to our rapid growth and the unprecedented recent demand for testing, we havent been able to meet all our commitments. My axe throwing lounges were forced shut by the gov due to covid, Syed wrote on Aug. 17. HELP US REPORT: Have you been tested at a COVID-19 pop-up? Rapid and pcr both.. Use this service to find a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site. CHICAGO The nationwide coronavirus testing chain under scrutiny from the FBI and several states was hit with a scathing lawsuit Thursday one that provides new insight into alleged deceptive trade practices and garish spending bycompany executives. Doctors Clinical Lab is the lab that processes many of the chains tests and sends the results to patients. Look, all you need to know is that you're very soon going to find out that we're not fraudsters, we didn't do any sort of fraud, or any scam, OK, Syed told Lisa Guerrero, Inside Editions chief investigative correspondent. The company and its main lab, which has. Any time there is money flowing between a provider to any kind of patient, it raises concerns about the United States anti-kickback statute, said Jeb White, CEO ofTaxpayers Against Fraud, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting fraud. It was signed by Doctors Clinical Laboratory. The search comes days after the Minnesota Attorney General's Office filed a consumer protection lawsuit against the company and its primary laboratory, Doctors Clinical Lab. D octors Clinical Laboratory, the privately-owned medical testing company fronted by the Center for Covid Control, has received at least $124 million in federal COVID reimbursements.Using that funding as the basis for financial modeling, the company's annual revenue is likely between $250 million and $1 billion. The Illinois Attorney Generals Office has received complaints about the Center for COVID Control and has opened an investigation, a spokesperson said. What the heck? Wylie said after learning about the QR code. She called in, waiting about an hour and a half to speak to someone with the Center for COVID Control and the worker she eventually reached told her, essentially, We dont know, she said. But the facility was crowded and chaotic, and the family wasnt given instructions for doing the tests,McNees previously said. Doctors Clinical Lab is the lab that processed many of the chains tests and sent results to patients. Reminder: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Expires May 11, 2023 The Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19 is expected to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023. The Center for COVID Control and its lab, Doctors Clinical Lab, are based out of suburban Rolling Meadows. Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes to Be Sentenced September 26 for Fraud Charges, Man Sentenced to Over 9 Years in Prison After Spending Fraudulently Obtained PPP Funds on Luxury Items, Virginia Beach Woman Gets Sentenced 12 Years for Elaborate $31.8 Million Coupon Fraud Scam: FBI, Stormy Daniels Says Justice Was Served With Michael Avenatti Fraud Conviction. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is suing the company for fraud. The Center for COVID Control's lab wasted 40,000 tests, according to a federal report. But her company required a PCR result, which the site hadnt sent her. Amid the heightened scrutiny, the center announced Thursday it will close for a week starting Friday. Thanks for subscribing to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. The report was issued Dec. 8. Syed appeared to remove that title and videos after being contacted by reporters. ", The Minnesota complaint alleged the company and lab "fraudulently reported negative test results to consumers that never completed COVID-19 tests.". The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still requiring international visitors boarding flights to the United States to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but it's easing vaccine . The sites rapid test gave him a negative result, as did a rapid and PCR result at a pop-up under another chain. You can check opening times and which age groups can use a site before visiting. The Center for COVID Control and Doctors Clinical Lab have also faced scrutiny from other agencies. Akbar Ali Syed and his wife Aleya Siyaj founded the Center for COVID Control in December 2020. The Center for COVID Control was founded to meet a critical market need to establish testing centers where COVID tests could be provided to patients rapidly and safely to minimize delay, and let people get on with their daily activities, Siyaj said in the companys news release. There have been customer service issues related to all the complaints, with customers having difficulties reaching the company to get a resolution, Bernas said. Scanning the QR code took the viewer to a Doctors Clinical Lab website that tells anyone who looks at it they are negative even people who never tested at a Center for COVID Control site. In one since-deleted Facebook video posted July 29, 2021, Syed, under the Facebook name "Akbar Syed Raza," showed viewers around what he called a Center for COVID Control office. The bur oak tree is believed to predate the city of Chicago's founding, but it's reached the end of its life cycle and is slated to come down Monday. Click here to tell Block Club about your experience. It can be very contagious and spreads quickly. At the very least, it is worth a heightened level of scrutiny to see if there is any quid pro quo playing out here, White said. Were still working through the process with Doctors Clinical Lab, a spokesperson said. The company is responding to queries from health and regulatory agencies, and it will take its week of closure to ensure its complying with regulatory guidelines, according to a news release. The same holds for any other company trying to make a quick buck here from a public health crisis, Rosenblum said in a statement. The Center for COVID Control is a management company to Doctors Clinical Laboratory. Every dime we make fundsreportingfrom Chicagos neighborhoods. People who were sent a positive test result were also sent a QR code; that one went to the Google search for positive.. Have you been tested at a COVID-19 pop-up? It was because they had been misinformed and were told the tests were state-sponsored, so insurance information wasnt needed, he said. As of Jan. 6, when he posted the video, the company was doing 90,000 tests per day, he said. But her company required a PCR result, which the site hadnt sent her. Siyaj listed herself as the CEO of the Center for COVID Control on LinkedIn, and Syed referred to himself as the founding father of the business on his Facebook until recently. Oregon's attorney general filed suit Thursday, saying the companies should "never do business" again in that state. The lab also didnt do quality control test runs on a machine used to analyze PCR tests in 25 days of patient testing that were reviewed by inspectors, according to the report. It now says it cannot show the results of an individual due to HIPPA laws. The chain also falsely told some patients that test results were inconclusive and instructed them to take another test, the suit said. And again and again, people have reported getting late results, no results or ones that don't make sense. LabElite, COVID Testing Lab Raided By FBI, Failed To Report Thousands Of Test Results, Feds Say, FBI Raids Another Chicago COVID Testing Company Which Has Gotten $77 Million From The Feds, Troubled Center For COVID Control Must Prove It Followed State Rules, California Official Says, Could New Laws Fix The Problems With COVID-19 Testing Pop-Ups? The Center for COVID Control is facing a fraud lawsuit filed by Minnesota's attorney general alleging a widespread COVID testing scheme. If workers are telling people not to put down insurance information, those charges are being passed to the government needlessly and creating a harm to the government, White said. CHICAGO The FBI on Saturday searched the headquarters of a nationwide string of coronavirus testing sites known as the Center for COVID Control. Siyaj bought a $1.36 million home in November, USAToday first reported. A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health said the agency is investigating complaints against the lab. COVID-19 may attack more than your lungs . But Cox lost his sense of smell, had a fever and had other symptoms. Please visitwww.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination for more information, including how to book or manage a COVID-19 vaccination and find a vaccination walk-in site. 28 March 2023. The Oregon Department of Justice is investigating the company on suspicion of Unfair Trade Practices Act violations. The Better Business Bureau, a non-government agency, is also looking into complaints about the business, said Steve Bernas, president of the agencys Chicago division. That despite a dun&bradstreet estimate of approximately $710,000 in years prior. As the operation became overwhelmed by testing demands around the holidays, at the peak of the surge of the omicron variant, Siyaj and Syed tried to reduce the number of PCR specimens the testing sites collected, according to the suit. Staff members at a site in Avondale told people coming in they could only get rapid tests since there was a national test shortage but they only said that when asked about PCRs, and its Center for COVID Control banners still advertised PCR tests. This analysis relies on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), which was conducted from January to June 2021 to assess students' health-related behaviors and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also posted videos trying to recruit people to the business on Facebook; in one, he recorded himself speaking to an employee and asking the man to say what he makes. So I opened up a covid testing site than bought the lab and now i have 65 sites., In an Aug. 29 video where Syed talks about buying a Countach, a luxury sports car, someone asked, Oil money? Syed replied, Not even sure what means.. but no covid money., In another post, someone asked Syed how could he afford all those cars. Covid testing, Syed replied. A suburban man who went to a Center for COVID Control site Dec. 24 said he heard the sites workers telling people to put down that they dont have insurance information on forms. The chain has also leaned heavily on rapid nasal swab tests, even as studies have shown rapid antigen tests are less sensitive than PCR tests, producing more false negatives when someone has the virus. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which regulate and certify labs, have cited the Rolling Meadows-based lab for immediate jeopardy-level deficiencies the highest level in three areas: general laboratory systems, analytic systems and laboratories performing high complexity testing. And the Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit that tracks consumer complaints about businesses, has given the Center for COVID Control an F rating and is investigating complaints about the chain. The business and the lab are run by Siyaj and Syed, a suburban Chicago couple who, before focusing on COVID-19 testing in 2021, ran axe-throwing lounges. Morales said those bags were full of tests that hadnt been processed. The Illinois Attorney Generals Offices on Wednesday issued guidance warning residents to be cautious around pop-ups, though it did not single out the Center for COVID Control. The companys staff has tried to comply with the law and health care guidelines, former employees said. In a post where Syed is shown bidding $400,000 for a Lamborghini at a car auction, someone asked him what he does for a living. With the U.S. declaration of Covid-19 as a public health emergency scheduled to expire on May 11, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to cease reporting Covid-19 . We are ready for the surge now.. Click here to tell Block Club about your experience. The Center for COVID Control, owned by married couple Aleya Siyaj and Akbar Ali Syed, closed down in January after customers complained it was producing illegitimate test results. Use this service to find a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site. The complaints have alleged they didnt get test results, the test results were inconclusive or they paid for expedited testing results, but did not get results in the time that was promised, Bernas said. Its website boasts of 300 locations. List of vaccination sites - 24 March 2023. The organization has given the Center for COVID Control an F rating, its lowest. But the lifting of the Title 42 order does not mean the border is open. Trevin Cox, of Logan Square, stopped by a Center for COVID Control testing site Dec. 23 after being exposed. Last month, after mounting complaints and lawsuits alleging fraud, the company was raided by the FBI. Multiple people who spoke to Block Club said they didnt receive any directions when testing at Center for COVID Control sites, and they questioned if their results were accurate since they didnt know how to correctly swab their noses. The Center for COVID Control is a management company to Doctors Clinical Laboratory. Every dime we make fundsreportingfrom Chicagos neighborhoods. The workers were given pre-written emails they could send to people with complaints; one said the lab was experiencing some technical difficulties with some new equipment, which had led to delays, according to the report. Syed appeared to remove that title and videos after being contacted by reporters. Click here to tell Block Club about your experience. In a January video talking to testing site operators, Syed said the Center for COVID Control will no longer provide them with PCR tests, but it will continue supplying them with rapid tests at a cost of $5 per test. Former Center for COVID Control headquarters staff explained to USA TODAY that testing site operators were referred to as "pokemon" because the operation wanted to "catch 'em all" or, catch all COVID-19 tests available for processing. Center for COVID Control:Testing sites to 'pause' as authorities in 2 states shut down centers. The website was updated after reporters contacted the Center for COVID Control and Doctors Clinical Lab. The Center for COVID Control only had a handful of sites in the spring, said a person previously associated with the chain. You can get a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from a walk-in site without an appointment. So what went on inside their headquarters? The service operates from 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday . I think they kind of grew very fast, faster than they could handle the tests processing, the person said. CHICAGO The FBI on Saturday searched the headquarters of a nationwide string of coronavirus testing sites known as the Center for COVID Control. Indicates that a Newsmaker/Newsmakers was/were physically present to report the article from some/all of the location(s) it concerns. . Learn more. A statement from the company said one of its founders, Akbar Syed, made the . But the person who used to associate with the Center for COVID Control said he knows of staff at a testing site who did tell people to not put down their insurance information. Back to It was publicly available to all. The chain's first testing site was at Siyaj's former axe-throwing lounge outside Chicago. Robert McNees, of Rogers Park, stopped by a Center For COVID Control site with his family Dec. 22. The owners used that money to buy a mansion and multi-million-dollar luxury cars, according to the suit. In advertisements for the centers, they noted their testing was free, available Monday through Friday and no insurance was necessary. The statute prohibits organizations from receiving money in exchange for things like referring patients or patronage to a lab. The Illinois Attorney Generals Office is investigating. Block Club spoke to people tested at various sites who said they never received results, experienced long wait times sometimes weeks before getting results or got back results that didnt make sense to them. Therefore, we cannot go back to having PCR back.. The Oregon Department of Justice received 30 complaints about the company beginning last October, according to the attorney general's office. I'm OK with analytics cookies. Siyaj wrote on TikTok that he owns some, as well. Insurance statements reviewed by Block Club show the lab has, in multiple instances, billed insurance companies $325 for a PCR test, $50 for a rapid test, $50 for collecting a persons sample and $80 for a supplemental fee.. Workers at testing sites also failed to follow proper guidelines for performing a variety of COVID-19 rapid tests by trying to get test results before enough time had passed and providing incorrect directions to customers who were self-administering tests, according to the federal agencys report. Customers have also reported being told to not put down their insurance information even if they have insurance.