An NHS doctor has warned against certain drinks affecting the results of covid lateral flow tests.
The doctor, Karan Rangarajan, who is known as Dr Rajan, took to TikTok to explain how tap water and other soft drinks are showing false positives for lateral flow test results.
He said false positive results can be shown if the person carries out the antigen test incorrectly, reports Wales Online.
READ MORE: Covid rules set to be changed today as Sajid Javid updates MPs
Dr Rajan recently took to the app to show why this happens after being questioned by a follower.
In a clip which has been viewed more than six million times, Dr Rangarajan, who regularly debunks health myths on TikTok, could be seen splashing tap water on the antigen test before bringing up a positive result.
Before lifting the front casing off the test, he said: "First we need to look inside the lateral flow device. This grey box and the portion just above it contain antibodies that are sensitive to the COVID-19 virus.
"If you use things like soda, tap water and fizzy drinks, that's going to provide an altered pH, which will affect the function of the antibodies on the test line.
"That is why you need to use this buffer solution (consisting of 99.7 percent saline solution) which provides a stable pH that will actually make the test work."
His explanation was also backed up by the American Society for Microbiology, back in November, confirming that "a team of Canadian researchers has shown that rapid antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2 work only when manufacturer instructions are followed."
Conspiracy theorists have used these findings to argue that the pandemic, which started in the UK in March 2020, is a hoax or that there are fewer cases than being reported.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
