Injuries that hundreds of Brits claim to have suffered while doing Covid tests –

Hundreds of Britons say they have been injured while testing for Covid, according to official figures.

Dozens of people said they passed out or choked while taking the drug, while others complained of nosebleeds and hot flashes.

Drug regulators tasked with overseeing the safety of virus testing have recorded more than 3,000 damage reports during the pandemic.

However, the figures obtained by MailOnline for the Freedom of Information (FOI) request are only a ‘snapshot’.

Experts say thousands more would be harmed by using side streams or cotton swabs as not everyone reports their experience.

The pharmaceutical and healthcare product regulator, which is responsible for overseeing safety, also insists that in the few recorded cases, tampons are certainly not to blame.

More than 500 million tests have been carried out in the UK since the start of the outbreak, with a plan costing £2bn a month at the height of the Omicron wave. But as part of the government’s “living with Covid” strategy, free tests for all were removed on April 1. Only the weakest and older Britons still have free access to testing, along with NHS staff. The rest of the public has to pay £2 for tests done in pharmacies like Boots. An average of 415,000 Covid test results per day were reported last week, compared to more than 2 million at the peak of the Omicron wave in January.

Similar to the way the side effects of the Covid vaccine are tracked, authorities are asking everyone to record events that occur during testing.

The MHRA encourages people to report safety concerns during testing and to provide feedback, such as damaged or missing parts.

Then look for and record serious issues to prevent similar incidents in the future.

More than 500 million tests have been carried out in the UK since the start of the Covid pandemic and the plan has now been canceled at the height of the Omicron wave costing £2bn per month.

According to MHRA data, as of April 7, at least 3,443 complaints regarding Covid tests were registered.

Of these, 1,013 complaints about lateral flow buffer were recorded.

At least 177 said they suffered “minor” damage from the use of the tests, while between 39 and 69 reported “serious” damage.

The uncertainty surrounding the numbers collected monthly is due to the watchdog’s inability to provide exact numbers when fewer than five people report a particular type of event.

The vast majority of complaints provided insufficient information about the damage caused by the tests.

However, allergic reactions to test components and choking were the most common events reported.

The British also complained of headaches, nosebleeds, respiratory infections, sore throat, hot flashes, inflammation and skin swelling.

One to four deaths have been recorded.

The MHRA said reporting an adverse test event in its database “does not mean that the events described were caused by this medical device.”

The agency added that it “may be due to unrelated patient/user factors.”

A spokesperson said: “The information in our database is just a snapshot, not a complete picture of all device-related events that have occurred during this time.

“Health professionals and citizens are not required to report incidents directly to the MHRA, but we strongly recommend it.”

Meanwhile, 2,430 people complained to the watchdog after running a PCR test.

Of these reports, at least 261 reported light damage, and 78 reported heavy damage.

Reported damage has included allergic reactions, suffocation, and nosebleeds.

The Brits also said they experienced a sore throat, loss of consciousness and “emotional changes” after taking the PCR tests.

A handful of cases of asthma have also been recorded with the MHRA, along with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a lung condition that causes breathing difficulties – and joint dislocation, sneezing and vomiting.

And three to 12 deaths were reported to the MHRA, which the public attributed to PCR tests.

Private data seen by MailOnline shows that the UK drug regulatory authority recorded 3,443 PCR or lateral flow complaints in the first two years of the pandemic.

Dr. Angela Raffle, professor emeritus of public health at the University of Bristol School of Medicine, told MailOnline that “decades of experience” have shown that batch testing programs have “unintended consequences”, including damage from the tampons themselves.

“If something can go wrong, like stopping a Pap smear or stopping a procedure that caused the nose or throat, it will go wrong sooner or later.”

But Dr. Raffle also noted that other indirect harms were caused by the testing regimen, including “false belief in a negative outcome that causes people to ignore symptoms.”

Others, if positive and isolated, suffered from a lack of work and “useful activities” despite “never transmitting the infection”.

Dr. Raffle said psychologists are now reporting psychological trauma in young children who are “repeatedly subjected to physical exertion” to comply with “invasive Pap tests.”

“In screening, there is always a balance between benefit and harm, and unfortunately many tests were poorly targeted during the pandemic and likely had little or no beneficial effect on transmission.”

The numbers come after the government’s removal of free tests for all on April 1 as part of its “living with Covid” strategy.

Only the weakest and older Britons still have free access to testing, along with NHS staff. The rest of the public has to pay £2 for tests done in pharmacies like Boots.

Brits are being advised to “try” to stay at home for five days if they have a fever or are “unwell” and avoid contact with others.

An average of 415,000 Covid test results per day were reported last week, compared to more than 2 million at the peak of the Omicron wave in January.