Meta.mk under the cooperation agreement with Truthmeter.mk republishes its debunking of disinformation spread among the Facebook users in North Macedonia:
The PCR test is just a simple plastic swab with a cotton ball on top, which is used to collect samples from the nose and throat and then process them in a laboratory. It does not contain toxins, it does not contain lithium, nor does it harm in any way as falsely claimed in the post. It is quite impossible to have a battery in the PCR stick, as stated in the nonsensical findings related to the 5G conspiracy theory
We are reviewing a Facebook post that falsely claims that PCR tests for detecting Covid-19 contain hydrogel, which was a “mini vaccine that massacres red blood cells”, lithium – which affects human mood and is used to treat psychotic diseases, and a battery with 3D structure as an antenna. In addition, there is the claim that leads to the wrong conclusion – that the inventor of the PCR test does not recommend it for Covid-19 detection.
However, this claim comes from an article written by John Lauritsen in December 1996 on HIV and AIDS, not Covid-19.
The context of the article shows that Lauritsen does not say that the PCR test does not work. Instead, he explains that the PCR test identifies substances qualitatively, not quantitatively, by detecting the genetic sequences of the virus but not the viruses themselves: The PCR test intends to identify substances qualitatively, but in its nature is not suitable for assessing numbers. Although there is a common misconception that the test counts the number of viruses in the blood, these tests cannot detect free infectious viruses at all; they can only detect proteins that are believed to be unique to HIV. The test can detect genetic sequences of viruses, but not the viruses themselves.
Even if Mulis repeated the same thing before his death in 2019, it does not mean that the PCR test is incapable of detecting Sars-COV-2. It means that the PCR test cannot determine if the individual being tested is infectious!
PCR tests are the gold standard for identifying Sars-COV-2 in the respiratory tract. These tests are fast and produce results at the same time.
It is important to note that detection of viral material by PCR does not indicate that the virus is infectious or capable of causing infection in other people.
The post we are reviewing also claims that PCR tests are “poisonous,” which is not true. The PCR test, a plastic stick with a cotton swab on top, does not contain lithium (a drug for psychotic conditions administered mainly in the United States). Why would anyone want to administer a rather expensive drug via a PCR stick? Lithium is given only with a strict medical indication and is not for everyone, so it would be completely illegal to give it with a PCR test, nor is it logical why someone would want to do it. There is no evidence that the PCR test contains lithium.
Molecular tests, i.e. PCR tests, look for signs of active infection, and the sample used for this test is a swab taken deeper from the throat with a cotton swab. There is nothing but cotton on this stick! This sample is then sent under special conditions to a laboratory for testing.
It is known that the molecular test (PCR test), which detects the coronavirus, is approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is safe and for this purpose and it is used worldwide during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The head of the WHO office in Skopje, Jihan Tavilah, told MIA in April that according to the WHO instructions, the PCR test was made to detect the virus, i.e. the antigen.
The test can measure the viral load or the number of viruses in a sample. It means that only by testing the viral load through PCR, we will know if someone is infected and has an active disease and when someone is cured, she told MIA.
The connection of PCR tests with 5G technology and the implantation of microchips have no real support. Such posts, which have become more frequent lately, are based only on conspiracy theories, which inevitably link to Microsoft owner Bill Gates, and they have been repeatedly debunked by fact-checking services such as the BBC, Reuters, and many others. The Truthmeter has recently reviewed such a conspiracy.
Regarding the claim made in the post we are reviewing, that there is a hydrogel in the PCR test – it is false. We have already written about this topic.
The PCR test is just a simple plastic swab with a cotton ball on top, which is used to collect samples from the nose and throat and then process them in a laboratory. It does not contain toxins, it does not contain lithium, nor does it harm in any way as falsely claimed in the post. It is quite impossible to have a battery in the PCR stick, as claimed in the nonsensical findings related to the 5G conspiracy.
