Reports of Bahrain's tap water testing positive for Covid is incorrect, NHRA
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
The National Health Regulatory Authority yesterday rejected claims circulating on social media that tap water tested positive to COVID-19 as false and misleading. The authority also warned against sharing “misleading and incorrect” information and urged to refer only to legitimate sources.
“Always make sure to refer to studies and scientific researchers published by internationally accredited medical and scientific media to ensure the correctness of the information shared,” the authority warned. NHRA said that the video in question has several misleading information and flaws.
First of all, for the device to return accurate results, one should use it in a manner instructed by the health authorities and manufacturer.
Explaining, NHRA said that the device would get damaged if used directly without exposing it to the buffer solution. “This may result in the device returning inaccurate positive results.” “One should wait for full 15 minutes to obtain the final result. However, in the video, the result is shown in much less time, indicating that it is incorrect.”
When searched online, Tribune was able to find several such videos, implying that water sources carry COVID infection in them. However, when referred to documents published by WHO, it became clear that, as of now, there is no evidence of transmission of coronavirus through groundwater sources or drinking water.
The World Health Organisation says that the COVID-19 virus is an enveloped virus with a fragile outer membrane. “Generally, enveloped viruses are less stable in the environment and are more susceptible to oxidants, such as chlorine.” The COVID-19 virus, WHO says, has not been detected in drinking water and based on current evidence, the risk is low.
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