A video that has been viewed more than 34,000 times, in which a person tears the material from what is described as a COVID-19 lid, contains several false allegations – such as that the material is ‘live’ or from ‘Morgellons’ was made. a theoretical material related to an unproven medical condition.
The video (here) features a woman saying she got COVID-19 tests from a friend, which she takes apart with tweezers. She shows the packaging of a swab and says, ‘Do you see what the COVID test says, tip wrapped in traditional fiber? Well, this fiber that is here is the same fiber that comes out of my body, it’s nanoparticles. ”(Timestamp 0.18)
Nanoparticles are microscopic particles that measure less than 100 nm in one dimension (here) and are not visible under normal conditions (here).
She also says that the material in the swab in the COVID test has a silver sheen, compared to a normal cotton Q-dot. Although Q tips of 100% pure cotton are often said to exist (here), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that ‘only synthetic fiber swabs’ be used to collect samples (here). The test swab seen in the video is a dry swab from CLASSIQSwabs, which is available with tips of polyester or viscose – a kind of rayon (here here). Both materials have a gloss.
Later in the video, the woman says: “These are the same particles that come out of my body. These are nanoparticles. These particles live and move. (Timestamp 1.07) It is unclear what causes the fibers in the video to move – heat, wind or breath may be factors. Polyester is well documented to be partial to build up static charges (here). There are no other indications that the material shown is “alive”.
Later in the video, the woman claims’ They put nanoparticles in your head. I truly know this because these materials, these fibers, these silver fibers come from my body here. They are called Morgellons. ”(Timestamp 2.54).
Morgellons disease is an unproven skin condition in which sufferers report that fibers are released into their body (here). Some doctors have described the disease as a delusion (here and here and here and here). While some research suggests that some patients may be suffering from real infections (here and here), it is claimed that the fibers removed from sufferers of Morgellons’ disease are “living” nanoparticles, or that they are the same material as the swab. seen is unfounded.
VERDICT
Untrue. The presence of nanoparticles cannot be assessed directly with the naked eye. The material used in swabs used to test COVID-19 is advised to be synthetic material rather than cotton and is not ‘live’. Morgellon disease is an unproven condition and any properties of fibers caused by the disease are theoretical.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to actually check social media posts.