If swab was “processed with a PCR test, there’s a 10% chance that it ended up in a lab for genomic sequencing analysis,” tweeted the CDC.
QUICK FACTS:
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted a tweet explaining that swabs used to test for Covid-19 are being stored for “genomic sequencing analysis.”
- “Remember that #COVID19 nose swab test you took? What happened to the swab?” the CDC asked on Twitter. “If it was processed with a PCR test, there’s a 10% chance that it ended up in a lab for genomic sequencing analysis.”
- The video linked in the CDC’s tweet did not clarify what the laboratories are doing with the human DNA on the swabs.
- The CDC did not immediately respond when American Faith asked the agency what was being done with the human DNA.
- Peer-reviewed studies published as far back as 1999 have proven that human DNA can be obtained from PCR-based applications using swabs.
WATCH THE VIDEO LINKED IN THE CDC’S TWEET:
HOW TWITTER USERS RESPONDED:
- “Well, this is a concerning development,” one user replied to the CDC’s tweet. “Was the intent provided upfront in a disclosure? I would not have agreed to releasing my DNA!”
- “Sounds illegal to me!” another wrote.
- “Translation… We now own your DNA,” commented another.
- “I didn’t consent to that.. good thing after the first one I decided I’m never doing it again,” one user said.
- “I thought this was just a conspiracy theory?” another tweeted back to the CDC.
- “They say 10% but I’m sure it’s a lot closer to 100%,” said another.
- “I really would like to see the list of things the conspiracy theorists got wrong,” another Twitter user joked.
BACKGROUND:
- When French President Emmanuel Macron met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, the leaders sat opposite each other, a 20-foot table between them, because Macron had declined to take a Russian PCR test, The Washington Post reports.
- “Certain leaders follow their own protocols and do not expect to exchange test results with the host country,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “We understand that, it’s a normal global practice, so we activate an additional protocol to protect the health of our president and guests at the same time. Social distancing is maintained on a larger scale then.”
