Public health officials in Peel Region have apologized after 16 people were told their COVID-19 test results were negative when in fact they had tested positive.

Lawrence C. Loh, the Interim Medical Officer of Health, said the letters were mailed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Loh said several positive test slips were accidentally mixed in with a batch of negative results they had received back from labs.

Loh said the error was not caught until after the letters were mailed out.

“I know the relief those residents felt for a few moments has sadly been transformed into feelings of fear and uncertainty,” Loh said in a statement released Thursday night. “Our team is working quickly to notify these residents and make sure they have what they need to manage this difficult situation.”

Loh says the unit has made changes to their process to ensure this situation does not occur in the future.