With the spike in Covid cases across the country, there has also been a surge in people relying on home testing kits. While RT-PCR tests are considered to be more accurate, rapid home tests are gaining popularity because of their promptness in delivering results.
Recently, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommended the use of self-tests/home tests for symptomatic individuals. These home test kits can, however, be manipulated.
There have also been cases where people have been using tap water, fizzy drinks and even fruit juice, to bring up false positives on the test, reports Mirror.
To explain how this can happen, Dr Karan Rangarajan--who works with the National Health Service (NHS) in England--recently took to Instagram, after being questioned by a follower.
In the video, Dr Rajan is seen splashing tap water on the antigen test before bringing up a positive result.
"First we need to look inside the lateral flow device," he said, before lifting the front casing off the test. "This grey box and the portion just above it contain antibodies that are sensitive to the COVID-19 virus."
"If you use things like soda, tap water and fizzy drinks, that's going to provide an altered pH, which will affect the function of the antibodies on the test line. That is why you need to use this buffer solution (consisting of 99.7 percent saline solution) which provides a stable pH that will actually make the test work," Dr Rajan explained.
According to Mirror, this explanation was backed up by the American Society for Microbiology, back in November, confirming that "a team of Canadian researchers has shown that rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 work only when manufacturer instructions are followed."
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
