Chinese Laboratories Storing More Than 20 Infectious Agents Are To Be Moved Near The Airport

According to the Sacramento Bee, a Chinese-owned medical lab found to be storing more than 20 infectious agents in Fresno County, Calif., planned to reopen last year in a building near the city's airport. However, after the lab's mysterious operations were exposed, the city of Fresno said a detailed review was needed.

The Bee pointed out that Chinese-funded Universal Meditech Inc. and Prestige Biotech Inc. proposed their business plans to the planning department of Fresno City in March and June 2022, respectively. Expressed a desire to establish the new lab in a building north of Fresno Yosemite International Airport. The city of Fresno has yet to conduct a final inspection of the building or issue a permit.

City Planning Commissioner Jennifer Clark sent a letter to building owner Ford Tetra Partners last week, noting that they had received two conflicting operating plans and asking for more information.

"The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the city cannot evaluate the operating statement without the property owner's authorization, a list of hazardous materials, and a local, California, or federally issued raw material handling permit," Clark said in the letter. "Therefore, the operating statement change will not be approved."

The city of Fresno also provided a timeline of Global Medtech's local operations. Global Medtech from August 2018, at 1320 E. Fortune Ave. In a rented industrial building, the building was destroyed by a fire in August 2020. The fire report noted that walls and electrical wiring in the lab were installed without permission from the city.

The Fresno Business Journal reported in February 2019 that Global Medtech had been operating in Tulare, where it manufactured pregnancy, ovulation and menopause reagents, before moving to the city of Fresno.

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, Global Medical Technologies, which has moved to the city of Fresno, began to increase production of COVID-19 rapid screening reagents. But after an inspection of the lab in November 2022, authorities found that it apparently did not have a federal license to produce and sell COVID-19 rapid screening reagents.