Thai-language Facebook posts shared thousands of times claim rapid antigen tests for Covid-19 are unreliable because they only detect a person's antibody levels, not their viral load. The posts shared a photo of an orange alongside a test kit showing a positive Covid result, next to a bar of soap alongside a test kit displaying a negative Covid result. But Thai health experts told AFP the image shows test kits that have been misused and said rapid antigen tests are reliable when performed correctly.

The claim was shared in this Facebook post on February 12, 2022. It has been reshared more than 6,000 times.

The Thai-language caption claims that rapid antigen tests will show two stripes for an "acidic" result -- meaning the person only has limited antibodies for Covid-19, while one stripe indicates a person has a "base" level of antibodies.

It translates to English as: "[Rapid antigen tests] are only an antibody detection tool, they show two stripes for acidic and one stripe for base, do you want to try this?"

It continues: "Patients' bodies mostly become highly acidic when antibodies are low, the [rapid antigen test] will do its job / But it cannot determine any viruses / In summary if your secretions are acidic then everyone is infected. #ifyoustoptestingyouwontbeinfected".

The post shared a photo that shows an orange alongside a rapid antigen test kit showing a positive result, next to a bar of soap with a test kit displaying a negative Covid result.

The same photo has...

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