If you ever took a PCR COVID test, there’s a chance that sample was sent to a lab for genomic sequencing analysis. But is that as bad as it sounds? While some folks are outraged by the idea, they might not actually understand what’s happened.
We recently noticed a couple of remarks lately going around various prepper-centric platforms, claiming that the CDC admitted to stealing people’s DNA for testing from COVID tests. This sounded suspicious, so we decided to dig into it ourselves. While the claims are 100% a lie, it’s not exactly true, either.
The Truth
Recently, the CDC promoted a video by WIRED, which explained how a select number of people who took a PCR test had their sample sent to a secondary lab for genomic sequencing testing. That’s the part that’s true. To be specific, about 10% of PCR tests were sent to a lab for that purpose.
The common response to this are folks expressing discontent that their DNA was taken without consent and used in testing. The fact that they consented to the PCR test itself aside, this isn’t actually what’s happening. The genomic sequencing it’s talking about is not human DNA from the test taker, however. It is for the COVID virus itself. The tests are done in hopes to better understand (and in turn, cure) the virus.
In layman’s terms, they’re collecting human DNA the same way that a hair stylist does: a byproduct of their intended service, which gets discarded.
We understand a person’s desire for privacy in an ever-invasive world. But it’s important that we do not fall victim to people wanting to skew the truth in an effort to create outrage. We as a society need to avoid acting aggressively towards concepts that we might not understand. This isn’t the Salem witch trials, we don’t burn women at the stake for trying to perform medicine.
Stay wise, preppers. Don’t let the sensationalists trick you.