People are using this wild method to test for Covid now

Experts aren't convinced

Forget nasal swaps and saliva collections– there’s a new resting technique causing a stir on the internet. Here’s the new unconventional way people are checking their bodies for the virus, and why experts warn against it. 

As the years tick on since the pandemic first began, our collective testing and diagnosis abilities have diversified like never before. As cases rose around the globe, the world's brightest minds joined forces to produce accurate and widespread testing facilities and vaccines in a bid to contain the virus. 

Now, from the deep, deep depths of the internet, comes a rather peculiar take on the humble at-home Covid test. Usually administered using an oral or nasal swap, or collection of saliva, some people have happened upon a new technique they claim is just as effective. 

According to users of X (formally known as Twitter), they’ve found swapping their stool sample for Covid a more superior e method of testing compared to the traditional nasal technique.

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One X user (@NurseKelsey) took to the platform last week to share the controversial health PSA. “Swabbed my cheek + nose: negative,” her post says. “Swabbed my stool, per Twitter suggestion: positive.” 

“I had three rapid tests & a doctor’s office (nasal) PCR all negative today,” she adds. “Don’t trust nasal swabs! Pro tip: test your stool!”

Her post on X has since garnered more than 450,000 views and nearly 5,000 likes. 

Like most posts that grace the platform, NurseKelsey’s health advice has generated some mixed opinions, with health professionals warning others not to participate in the trend.

How accurate is this new technique? Image: iStock

The problem with testing your stool

Every test or medication is designed to be used in a certain way, formulated and constructed to garner the best results in the shortest time frame possible. When prescribed medications and equipment are used incorrectly, the intended results cannot only be difficult to achieve, but patients can sometimes place their health at risk by doing so. 

For example, swallowing the correct dosage of cough syrup is likely to alleviate your symptoms as instructed, but rubbing the same cough syrup straight onto your skin, hoping the medication will be absorbed like inflammation relief gel, is likely to only leave you sticky– and still coughing. 

“The current at-home COVID-19 antigen self-tests are not designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 proteins in stool, leaving any positive or negative result using a stool sample in doubt,” Mark Cameron, PhD, associate professor and researcher at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, explains to Health.

Despite being a disease that primarily affects the respiratory system, many symptoms in turn impact the gastrointestinal tract, making it possible to identify within a person’s stool. For this reason, many cities use wastewater monitoring to track the spread of an outbreak. 

However, this technique functions on an entirely different level, “Wastewater tests are done using a tricky laboratory protocol which cleans up and dilutes the sample for PCR detection of virus sequences, not viral proteins like the home test,” Cameron explains.

Not convinced your at-home test is giving an accurate result? Seek out a PCR test from your healthcare provider. Image: iStock

The best way to self-test for Covid

When it comes to reaping an accurate result from your at-home nasal or saliva swab test, experts recommend following the test’s instructions explicitly. 

If you’re experiencing Covid symptoms or were recently exposed to someone who has tested positive but aren't displaying a positive test result yourself, experts recommend observing social distancing practices and testing again the following day,

You can also seek out a PCR test from facilities and healthcare providers in your community, which tend to be more accurate and sensitive than the at-home tests. 

And remember, there are better places to find advice and information about your health than unregulated social media platforms.  

Originally published as People are using this wild method to test for Covid now