Disturbing TikTok videos show Australians sharing drinks to get Covid FASTER in the hope of avoiding extended isolation periods – but doctors warn the selfish trend could backfire badly
- Covid-19 positive woman revealed she shares drinks with mum to pass on virus
- Chelsea Austin contracted virus and was isolating with family on Gold Coast
- Close contacts must restart isolation if they later test positive to the virus
- Ms Austin revealed family was trying to get Covid to restart isolation sooner
- But doctors have slammed the practice, warning it could backfire badly
A Covid-19 positive woman has revealed her mother has been drinking from her cup to try and contract the virus and avoid extended isolation.
Chelsea Austin was forced to isolate at her Gold Coast apartment after contracting the virus.
As she shares the home with her family, her mother is considered a close contact.
A Covid-19 positive woman has revealed her mother has been drinking from her cup to try and contract the virus and avoid extended isolation
Chelsea Austin was forced to isolate at her Gold Coast apartment after contracting the virus. As she shares the home with her family, her mother is considered a close contact
Covid positive cases need to isolate for a week after testing positive for a Covid-19, while close contacts must isolate for seven days after last coming into contact with the positive case.
If the close contact tests positive to the virus, regardless of how long they have already been isolating, they must restart their seven days from the moment they received their result.
Ms Austin took to TikTok to reveal she was sharing drinks with her mother to pass on the virus, so she could test positive and begin her second round of isolation sooner.
‘When you’re covid positive and Mum drinks your OJ to try and get covid asap so we aren’t in extended iso,’ she wrote.
Ms Austin is seen in the video handing a glass of orange juice to her mother.
‘Happy Covid,’ she says off-camera.
Her mother smiles before taking the glass and downing the rest of the juice.
But experts have warned the trend is unnecessarily exposing people to a very serious virus.
Epidemiologist Dr Catherine Bennett said the wisest advice is ‘to avoid being infected for as long as you possibly can’.
‘People trying to get this virus when it’s still possible to ride through this wave without being infected isn’t wise,’ she said.
‘We’re hearing lots of people say “it might be mild” but it’s actually really terrible, so if you can avoid it, do.’
She recommended people get their booster shot as soon as they are eligible to reduce their chances of suffering more severe symptoms.
‘This wave will not last forever, we’re talking a few weeks and it’s not inevitable you have to get an infection,’ she added.
Social media users were quick to praise the woman for the isolation hack
Nevertheless, some social media users praised Ms Austin’s infection ‘hack’.
‘The twist of the glass to make sure she practically gets the whole rim,’ one commented.
Several revealed they had also tried this little trick to get out of isolation sooner.
‘Hahaha, we did that and it worked,’ one person wrote.
Another one added: ‘I tried this. Didn’t catch it after a whole week sharing a bed with my bf’.
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