False positive Covid and flu antigen testing of beverages doesn’t mean the tests are unreliable
Improper use of the test yields no useful information (Updated 4/5/25)
Recent videos on social media appear to show vodka and soft drinks like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and 7-Up testing positive for Covid or flu with rapid antigen testing.
Contrary to claims of the “testers,” these results don’t mean much because the tests weren’t done properly.
Some rapid antigen tests, like Abbott’s BinaxNow, purport in studies to be 98% specific, meaning it tests falsely positive in only 2% of people without SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in their nasal swab sample, as confirmed by negative RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests.
However, the positive predictive value (PPV) for BinaxNow was only about 73% for symptomatic children in the above study, meaning about 27% of all kids with symptoms and positive antigen tests were false positive, i.e., they did not have viral RNA in their nasal swab sample by RT-PCR.
This poor PPV was reportedly due to the relatively low prevalence of Covid (9.0%) among symptomatic children in that study.
False positives from beverages
Vodka and soft drinks do not "cause" COVID-19 or flu rapid antigen tests to test positive in the sense that they contain the viruses or directly trigger a legitimate positive result.
Instead, when these substances produce a positive result on a rapid antigen test, it’s likely due to improper testing procedures that interfere with the test’s chemistry, leading to false positives.
Here’s how this can happen:
Rapid antigen tests work by detecting specific viral proteins (antigens) using antibodies embedded in the test device.
These antibodies bind to the target antigens, and a colored line appears to indicate a positive result.
The tests are designed to analyze human samples (like nasal swabs) mixed with a provided buffer solution, which maintains a stable pH and ensures the antibodies function correctly.
When substances like vodka or Coca-Cola are applied directly to the test without the buffer — or in place of a human sample — they can disrupt this process:
1. Acidity (pH interference)
Coca-Cola, for example, is highly acidic, with a pH around 2.5–3, due to phosphoric acid and carbonic acid from carbonation.
Vodka, while closer to neutral (pH around 6–7), is often mixed with other substances or contains trace impurities.
The antibodies in the test are sensitive to pH levels and function best at a near-neutral pH (around 7.4, similar to the human body).
Extreme acidity can denature (unfold) these antibodies, causing them to stick nonspecifically to other components in the test, like the gold nanoparticles, and produce a false positive line.
2. Chemical composition
Coca-Cola contains sugars, acids, and other compounds that might interact with the test’s materials in unpredictable ways.
Vodka, being mostly ethanol and water, could theoretically dilute or destabilize the test’s reagents if used improperly.
Ethanol might also affect the nitrocellulose membrane or antibody stability, though this is less studied in this context.
3. No buffer
The buffer solution provided with the test is critical.
It neutralizes the sample’s pH and prevents random interactions.
Studies and manufacturer demonstrations have shown that when Coca-Cola is mixed with the buffer as intended, no false positives occur.
However, when the drink is applied directly, the test malfunctions.
For example, research published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases in 2021 (2023 confirmation here) found soft drinks like Coca-Cola caused false positives on lateral flow tests when used without buffer but not when properly mixed.
4. Misuse
High-profile cases, like an Austrian politician testing Coca-Cola on a rapid antigen test in 2020, showed a positive result — but the manufacturer (Dialab) later demonstrated this was because the test was performed incorrectly, skipping the buffer step.
Similarly, posts on X and studies have suggested vodka can yield positives, but this is likely due to experimental error or deliberate misuse rather than the presence of viral antigens.
In short, vodka and soft drinks can cause false positives because their chemical properties — especially acidity or lack of proper buffering — disrupt the test’s antibody-based detection system.
This doesn’t mean the tests are inherently unreliable; it means they’re being used in a way they weren’t designed for.
When performed correctly with human samples and the provided buffer, there’s no evidence these tests mistake drinks for viruses.
Claims on social media about this proving tests are fraudulent often exaggerate or misinterpret these quirks, ignoring the importance of following instructions.
Conclusion
We’ve been lied to about many things in the Covid operation, including inflated numbers of infections, cases, and deaths due to PCR testing at high (> 30) cycle thresholds and defining a “Covid death” as death from any cause — including accidents, trauma, murder, or suicide — within 28 days of a positive PCR test.
If Covid and flu rapid antigen tests are also fraudulent, let’s present scientific evidence of the fraud, file lawsuits against manufacturers, and demand the tests be pulled off the market.
In the meantime, performing the tests wrong isn’t helpful to this end.
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Dr. Hill will you please continue your Medical Science Education series and explain how you define a "pandemic" and elaborate on whether the purported novel rogue koronavirus identified in the Rapid Antigen Tests constituted one?
Bonus points if you can educate us on how novel antigens are isolated and shown to make others sick(transmit) and what frequency this transmission of illness from the novel pathogen does in fact make the public ill.
It would be helpful if you could do so in plain English and not link to the CDC and so forth as you did in our informative discussion.
After 5 years I am absolutely done with tweezing an elephant for fleas. Mistakes were not made, the jabs cause horrific harms and deaths, the protocols as well, the dancing psyop was mocking those dead and injured. Despite, the jabs were never safe nor effective but are still being pushed onto all ages when they should have never been approved and should have been pulled off the market immediately. A long lineup of individuals must be facing judges to defend their actions. We have more than enough evidence. We have affidavits from highly credentialed experts that this is a biowarfare weapon. Heck, it is so transparent that even lay people put 2 and 2 together. What we don’t have is a functioning legal system. Enough ! This needs to be stopped immediately.