aubrey sims covid test reaction death threats

Aubrey Sims/TikTok

Girl says she’s getting death threats after her extreme reaction to getting COVID test went viral

'My 3-year-old got tested and didn't scream like that.'

 

Eilish O'Sullivan

Internet Culture

Posted on Nov 29, 2020   Updated on Nov 30, 2020, 9:42 am CST

A TikToker says she’s receiving online hate and death threats after a video featuring her extreme reaction to getting tested for the coronavirus went viral.

TikToker Aubrey Sims uses the viral “Oh No” sound for her video, in which she is in her vehicle receiving a nasal or nasopharyngeal swab. As the test administrator inserts the swab up her nose, Sims backs away and lets out several screams. When it’s finished, she appears to cry.

The mega-viral video, posted earlier in the week, has been viewed over 55 million times. It’s also been commented on nearly 40,000 times. While some are defending Sims, who boasts 245,000 followers on the platform, most of the comments are of users criticizing her for what they claim is an overreaction to the test.

“Girl it’s not that serious … relax,” the top comment on the video reads.

Others are calling her reaction “embarrassing” and “extra.”

“My 3 year old got tested and didn’t scream like that,” one user claimed, with another saying that they got “second-hand embarrassment” from watching the video.

Another pointed out that her reaction might deter viewers from getting tested.

@theaubreysims

get a COVID test done they said it was fun. #covid #fyp

♬ original sound – Coleman187

Sims addressed the viral video in several follow-ups and is claiming that people are sending her “hate and death threats.” She also noted that she gained 20,000 new followers since the video went viral.

@theaubreysims

#greenscreensticker THAT IS ME! Thank you for the 10K, the hate and death threats. #foryou #viral

♬ original sound – Babyface

Sims later posted her negative test results, saying, “I ain’t got it. … now get off my ass.”



From our friends at Nautilus

As the new school year begins, pediatric hospitals are filled up with COVID patient
Within a 10-day span, 6 people from this Florida church died from COVID—the majority were under 35
What is the doomsday COVID-19 variant, and why are scientists concerned?
Another new variant, this one from Colombia, is spreading inside the U.S.
Does the COVID vaccine make your breasts bigger?


As of Nov. 28, there have been a reported 186,975,837 PCR tests administered in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to wbur, the PCR test—which stands for polymerase chain reaction—is “very accurate.” While the test can be invasive for some, as most PCR tests use a nasal swab to collect a mucus specimen sample, Dr. Daniel Rhoads, section head of microbiology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, called it the “the gold standard” when speaking with wbur. Because her results appeared to be delayed, it seems likely that Sims received a PCR test rather than a rapid antigen test—which, according to wbur, can be a bit more invasive as the swab needs to go deeper into the nasal cavity.

The Daily Dot has attempted to reach out to Sims.

Share this article
*First Published: Nov 29, 2020, 9:32 am CST