Children Are Faking 'Positive' COVID-19 Tests To Bunk School
Image source: https://news.gtp.gr/

Talk about bizarre ways to bunk the school? Most of us have been through the same where we tried to fake our fever or stomachache to spend the day at home. However, kids in the UK are now taking it to the next level by faking a COVID test.

Latest TikTok Hack For COVIDย 

TikTok is at the rescue for students who want to learn the tip for faking the coronavirus test. A video that has now received a viewership of 6.5 million is going viral on TikTok. Moreover, students are trying to fake a covid test in hopes of skipping school. Apple juice, apple cider vinegar, kiwi extract, and Cola works best to fake the lateral flow tests. The videos are uploaded under the #fakecovidtest hashtag.

Education Leaders Warnsย 

Education leaders have warned that the practice is โ€œmassively unhelpful.โ€ Since schools already battle to keep education going amid outbreaks.

According to Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College, โ€œWe are sure this involves a tiny minority of pupils, and that for the most part the tests are used correctly.

โ€œHowever, we would urge parents to ensure that tests are not being misused, and we would suggest to pupils who are interested in chemical reactions that the best place to learn about them is in chemistry lessons in school.โ€

COVID
Image source: https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/

How does The COVID Test work?

Itโ€™s worth understanding how the tests work. The LFT contains a strip of paper-like material on an LFT device, called nitrocellulose, and a small red pad, hidden under the plastic casing below the T-line. The red pad contains antibodies that bind to the Covid-19 virus. The sample is mixed with a buffer to maintain its pH before it is put on the strip.

The fluid wicks up the nitrocellulose strip and picks up the antibodies. The antibodies bind to the virus if present. If the virus is attached to both sets of antibodies, including the (T and C) lines, the test is positive.

 COVID
Image source: https://www.jhsph.edu/

So how do soft drinks work?

On idea is that the drinks contain something that the antibodies recognize and bind to, just as they do to the virus. However, a much more likely explanation is that something in the drinks is affecting the function of the antibodies.

The acidic drinks contain very low pH, disrupting the antibodies exposed to them since the buffer is not there to neutralize the acid. This results in the denaturation of proteins. As a result, the protein will not work correctly, giving a false positive test.

Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and update.