Representatives for United States manufacturer of home COVID-19 test Abbott recently said their tests for the virus are not being used as intended and that other liquids comprise chemical properties that can lead to chemical reactions on the test strip, leading to inaccurate results.
As specified in a Reuters report, there is no evidence to back claims on social media that water droplets that test positive for COVID-19 are proof that particles of the virus are in water supplies.
One instance of the claim made in a video was uploaded on Facebook in December last year. It is a 30-second video clip that does not show the test process from the start until the end, although it indeed shows the swab being held in running tap water.
Instead of the six drops of "extraction reagent" the test shows indicated in the instructions included in the kit. More so, the video disregards many guidelines from Abbott, too, including the 15-minute wait time, as suggested for the product.
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At-home COVID-19 tests by Abbott and Quidel are shown on September 14, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois. At-home tests are increasingly difficult to find despite manufacturers boosting production as COVID-19 cases rise in schools and employers increase monitoring.
Water Tested Positive for COVID-19
In a similar Facebook post that features a picture of a COVID-19 positive home test, the person who posted it expressed hope that people "don't drink water faucet" and that the public might not believe this person but the water "tested positive for COVID-19."
In previous reports, Reuters debunked claims that the virus is in water supplies; in that article, the World Health Organization guidance explained that the virus was not found in drinking water because of treatment approaches used to neutralize infectious pathogens.
The US Environmental Protection Agency or EPA said in a statement there is no higher priority for the agency than protecting the Americans' health and safety.
The EPA is offering the essential information about COVID-19 as it associates with drinking water and wastewater to clarify the public.
Recommendations from EPA
The virus has not been detected in potable water supplies. Based on existing evidence, the danger to water supplies is low. Americans can constantly use and drink water from their tap just like usual.
Additionally, EPA encourages the public as well, to help keep their household plumbing, as well as the nation's water infrastructure that operates properly by simply flushing toilet paper.
The agency advised, too, that disinfecting wipes and other items need to be disposed of in the trash, too, instead of the toilet.
Meanwhile, in December 2021, claims about test kits that produced positive COVID-19 results when testing substances instead of nasal secretions are not new.
COVID-19 Testing Using Coca-Cola
In December 2020, Reuters investigated claims that Coca-Cola had positive COVID-19 results. Schnedlitz, the test manufacturer, addressed the claim by explaining that the said test was administered incorrectly, which possibly produced a "false-positive result."
The company also responded by posting a video on YouTube, as shown below, of a COVID-19 test using Coca-Cola with the recommended method and getting a negative result.
Meanwhile, Abbott, the maker of the home COVID-19 tests, used several video claims, also refers to the test not being used as it ought to be, leading to inaccurate results.
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