{"id":547371,"date":"2021-05-31T18:50:17","date_gmt":"2021-05-31T22:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=547371"},"modified":"2021-05-31T18:50:19","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T22:50:19","slug":"fact-check-did-sweden-stop-using-pcr-tests-to-diagnose-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-did-sweden-stop-using-pcr-tests-to-diagnose-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"FACT CHECK: Did Sweden Stop Using PCR Tests To Diagnose COVID-19?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffact-check-did-sweden-stop-using-pcr-tests-to-diagnose-covid-19%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=547371&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1228596739-scaled-e1622361270302.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p>An image\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPEDEQwHxks\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;ig_rid=753667f7-e4bb-4b8f-9869-9d7e8897216a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPEDEQwHxks\/?utm_source%3Dig_embed%26ig_rid%3D753667f7-e4bb-4b8f-9869-9d7e8897216a&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1622401886764000&#038;usg=AFQjCNEsWj7jiv9OmsQbU71_jC5gT0xDwQ\">shared on Instagram<\/a> claims Sweden is no longer using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPEDEQwHxks\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"13\" readability=\"-8.7073170731707\"><\/blockquote>\n<p><span><strong>Verdict: False<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Sweden is still using PCR tests for COVID-19. The claim appears to stem from a misunderstanding of a page on Sweden\u2019s public health agency website.<\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Fact Check:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>PCR tests are a form of diagnostic test for COVID-19, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/consumers\/consumer-updates\/coronavirus-disease-2019-testing-basics#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20different%20types,tests%20and%20antibody%20tests.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Food and Drug Administration (FDA)<\/a>. The Cleveland Clinic <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diagnostics\/21462-covid-19-and-pcr-testing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">describes<\/a> PCR tests as the \u201cmost accurate and reliable test for diagnosing COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CPEDEQwHxks\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;ig_rid=753667f7-e4bb-4b8f-9869-9d7e8897216a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">image<\/a> on Instagram claims Sweden has stopped using PCR tests. Additional text inside the post reads, \u201cThe PCR technology used in tests to detect viruses cannot distinguish between viruses capable of infecting cells and viruses that have been neutralized by the immune system and therefore these tests cannot be used to determine whether someone is contagious or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the image does contain some translated text that appears on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se\/publicerat-material\/publikationsarkiv\/v\/vagledning-om-kriterier-for-bedomning-av-smittfrihet-vid-covid-19\/\">Public Health Agency of Sweden\u2019s website<\/a>, the agency has not suspended the use of PCR tests.\u00a0The agency still uses PCR tests to determine if someone is infected with COVID-19, according to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se\/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden\/communicable-disease-control\/covid-19\/covid-19-testing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">website<\/a>, and recommends people \u201cBook a PCR test if you feel ill and believe that you have COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A search for news reports about Sweden stopping the use of PCR diagnostic tests turned up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=Sweden+stops+use+of+PCR+tests&#038;rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS890US890&#038;oq=Sweden+stops+use+of+PCR+tests&#038;aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30.5508j0j4&#038;sourceid=chrome&#038;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">no results<\/a>, except for other fact-checking websites debunking the claim. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/checkyourfact.com\/2020\/07\/09\/fact-check-swab-coronavirus-test-sample-blood-brain-barrier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Does The Swab For A COVID-19 Test Take A Sample From The Blood-Brain Barrier?)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The claim appears to stem from confusion about a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se\/publicerat-material\/publikationsarkiv\/v\/vagledning-om-kriterier-for-bedomning-av-smittfrihet-vid-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">section<\/a> of the Public Health Agency of Sweden\u2019s website that, according to a translation, gives guidance on \u201ccriteria for assessment of freedom from infection in covid-19.\u201d The website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se\/publicerat-material\/publikationsarkiv\/v\/vagledning-om-kriterier-for-bedomning-av-smittfrihet-vid-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">explains<\/a> there that the RNA from the virus can be detected by the PCR test for weeks but doesn\u2019t always indicate if a person carrying the virus is still contagious. The agency recommends waiting seven days after the onset of symptoms, or 14 days after the onset of more pronounced symptoms, before considering an infected person no longer contagious.<\/p>\n<p>Check Your Fact reached out to the Public Health Agency of Sweden for comment and will update the article if a response is provided. Anna Wetterqvist, a spokesperson for the agency, previously told <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fact-checking-614604844829\">The Associated Press<\/a> that Sweden still uses PCR tests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can confirm that Sweden has not suspended the use of PCR tests,\u201d Wetterqvist said. She further noted 350,000 PCR tests were conducted weekly in April and May, and 9.7 million tests have been conducted in Sweden overall, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fact-checking-614604844829\">The Associated Press.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An image\u00a0shared on Instagram claims Sweden is no longer using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19. Verdict: False Sweden is still using PCR tests for COVID-19. The claim &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2278712,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1228596739-scaled-e1622361270302.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"FACT CHECK: Did Sweden Stop Using PCR Tests To Diagnose COVID-19?","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-547371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1228596739-scaled-e1622361270302.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"FACT CHECK: Did Sweden Stop Using PCR Tests To Diagnose COVID-19?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2278712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}