There is a claim that COVID-19 testing is a ruse for the implantation of microchips funded by the Gates Foundation.
According to a Facebook post, the coronavirus pandemic is done with the sole intention of the Gates to place as many microchips when anyone is swabbed in the nose or throat, in the guise of COVID-19 testing, according to AFP Fact Check.
Verdict: this claim is false
About the conspiracy to implant chips into as many patients as possible, that is not true at all. It was refuted by the Gates foundation and the swabbing is a way to get samples from patients, to find out if they are positive for COVID-19.
In a Facebook post last June 7, the already disproven theory claimed that a specific microchip, designed by the Gate's Foundation, will earn anyone $25k for each chip implanted. The method of insertion is using a swab that has instructions on how to put the chip in properly, then putting it in a person's nose.
One of the doubts about the social distance requirements is getting closer than six feet and literally up the nose. It will be very dangerous especially if the person is infected.
The COVID-19 pandemic is far-reaching throughout the globe. A total of 417,000 have died from COVID-19 complications when it was first detected on December 31, 2019. One of the biggest proponents of obtaining a COVID-19 vaccine is Bill Gates, who is the target of anti-vaccine groups and many others, who are cooking up conspiracy theories concerning the pandemic.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given $300 million or more to help the response against the coronavirus, but the said the email is not legitimate.
Here's what experts think
To set the record clear, COVID-19 testing experts weighed in on this matter. They stated it was not to get a microchip inside the nasal area, but reach the areas to get the required sample for coronavirus. One thing to note is the swabbing needs to hit the lower respiratory tract, or deeper for a better sample, according to KNKX.
If samples obtained are too shallow, the result is not effective so deeper probing is needed for better accuracy, said Dr. Jason McKnight in a report from Medicine.
Clarifying more questions, Dr. McKnight said assertions from Facebook posts that say this will not cause a transmission is a mistake, even worse is not following social distancing guidelines.
Whether anyone is talking, coughing, or sneezing, it will spread the virus if the lungs or throat are infected. Air from the lungs will always pass infected tissues and pick up virions to be aerosolized.
Simply put, swabbing is a deus ex machina for getting the most accurate samples, and this is not done to tag everyone with a microchip, which is completely an upturned lie.
Dr. Benjamin Neuman, an expert in coronaviruses, belied these unassailable facts. Swabbing is done for three good reasons.
One is to get to where the virus has dug in, with its spikes that will initiate infection. Second, if swabs are not done, another way is getting fluid by squeezing down on the lung, then pulling it back. Last is an anal swab on a patient.
Based on AFP fact check, most coronavirus conspiracy theories are untrue, especially implanting Gates-funded microchips via COVID-19 testing.
