Remember that #COVID19 nose swab test you took? What happened to the swab? If it was processed with a PCR test, there’s a 10% chance that it ended up in a lab for genomic sequencing analysis. Learn more about the process and its importance: https://t.co/XAHSGANLxu @WIRED @CDC_AMD
— CDC (@CDCgov) February 16, 2022
People were not happy.
Did the @CDCgov get permission from people to take their DNA??? https://t.co/vuD10F9AyK
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) February 16, 2022
OMG they're admitting they stole your DNA using the nose swabs & it's now being used in labs to study genome sequencing.
Yet another "CoNsPiRaCy ThEoRy" that was 1000% true.
Class-action lawsuit there for the taking of labs using your genes without your consent or compensation. https://t.co/3d3vm6pjN7
— US Rebel (@USRising1776) February 16, 2022
However, people are misunderstanding, says professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard Albert Ascherio. In this case, scientists are analyzing the sequencing of the COVID-19 virus for variants like Delta and Omicron. Sequences from collected tests can be compared to help scientists track the spread of a virus, how it is changing, and how those changes may affect public health.
Ascherio says the PCR tests used for genomic sequencing help distinguish common variants of the virus, not human DNA.
