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Warning Issued Following Trend Of School Kids Using Fruit Juice To Create False Positive Covid Tests

Warning Issued Following Trend Of School Kids Using Fruit Juice To Create False Positive Covid Tests

Gateacre School in Belle Vale, Liverpool, has issued a warning to parents, telling them in an email to be ‘vigilant’ of the trend

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A school has issued a warning following an online trend of kids using fruit juice to create false positive coronavirus results using lateral flow tests. You can see one of the numerous TikTok videos on the trick below:

The bizarre trend has been on the rise on social media platforms and sees people dipping the test swab into fruit juice rather than rubbing it on their tonsils and inserting into their nostrils as instructed.

Some people also pour the juice directly into the pipette, before dropping the mixture onto the lateral flow test.

Many videos show the fruit juice giving a positive result - although not all have proven to do the same.

Other people have also used fresh fruit, including a family member of one Facebooker, who wrote: "Noo my cousin done this and all of them are positive apart from a grapefruit."

Facebook

Their post has since racked up hundreds of reactions and a whopping 10,000 shares.

Gateacre School in Belle Vale, Liverpool, has warned parents to be 'vigilant' of the trend.

The school had asked pupils in years 7, 8 and 10 not to attend this week after a number of students tested positive, but said there is no evidence that anyone had used fruit juice to create a false positive.

TikTok/@sharna2000

In an email, which was seen by Liverpool Echo, the school said: "Nationally, some school students have discovered that placing droplets of orange juice or other fruit juice on an LFD test gets a false 'positive' result.

"In light of this, can you be extra vigilant when your child is doing their LFD tests. Also, remind them that a positive LFD test must be followed by a confirmatory PCR test."

PA

Headteacher Gareth Jones said: "This practice has been shared on social media channels including TikTok.

"We have no evidence of this taking place in our community. However, we thought we would share this with our parents so that they were aware of the practice and to supervise the home testing of their child, wherever possible, when using LFD tests.

"We also advocate that any positive result obtained from an LFD test is confirmed by obtaining a PCR test using one of the many testing facilities across the city."

It hopefully goes without saying, but maybe save your lateral flow tests for genuine testing, and leave the experiments for the classroom.

LADbible has contacted TikTok for comment.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@sharna2000

Topics: Viral, UK News, News, Coronavirus, TikTok