Are the nasal swabs contaminated with COVID-19 to further spread the virus?
There are stories circulating in some media that the nasal swabs used to detect COVID-19 have just been contaminated with COVID-19 in order to further spread the virus. The nasal swabs are sterilely packaged and do not contain viruses or other microorganisms.
Even if someone were to deliberately contaminate the nasal swabs during manufacture, the virus would not survive in the packaging for more than 3 days. The wipers are never used within three days of packaging. So everyone can rest assured that the contamination is not spread through the nasal swabs.
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-myths/art-20485720
Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2022-12-09 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2024
|