Nearly half of the people tested received false positive results this past winter, the New York Post reported Sunday.

A total of 213 people from November to April received positive HIV mouth-swab test results, the newspaper reported.

Records indicate when the patients were tested for a second time, their results came back negative.

The Post reported the Health Department, federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and test manufacturer OraSure Technologies (NASDAQ:OSUR) are investigating the sharp increase in false positive test results.

Health officials said patients given positive test findings were promptly tested a second time.

"Nobody was misled or harmed," Assistant Health Commissioner Dr. Susan Blank said.