Elon Musk claims to have taken four COVID-19 tests on the same day, two of which showed he was positive for the virus, and two that came back negative, as he stated “something extremely bogus is going on”.
It is not the first time the outspoken billionaire has expressed scepticism about the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this year, he described lockdowns as “forcibly imprisoning people in their homes” and “fascist”.
Musk said he was tested with a rapid antigen test, which authorities have warned has a higher chance of delivering false negatives.
He tweeted: “Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for Covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse.”
He is also awaiting the results from two PCR tests, although these will take 24 hours to be delivered.
The chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX said he was only suffering “symptoms of a typical cold” and said there was “nothing unusual so far” in terms of the effects of his COVID-19 infection.
When one Twitter user responded to Musk to state “revenues from tests are likely not bogus, and very consistent”, the tycoon responded by saying “exactly”.
More than 50,000 people have retweeted Musk’s social media message about his tests, without providing any context, and over 164,000 people have liked his tweet.
It comes as official figures for coronavirus infections in the US reach record levels.
President Donald Trump has played down the virus by comparing it to the seasonal flu, despite contracting COVID-19 himself and being treated in hospital.
The pandemic has resulted in more than 237,000 deaths in the US – the highest of any country in the world.
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Biden: Trump’s behaviour ‘an embarrassment’
This prompted president-elect Joe Biden to implore all Americans to wear face masks as the country passed 10 million confirmed cases.
Expressing a message of unity, he said: “I implore you, wear a mask. Do it for yourself. Do it for your neighbour. A mask is not a political statement. But it is a good way to start pulling the country together.”
He added: “The goal of mask wearing is not to make your life less comfortable, or to take something away from you. It is to give something back to all of us, a normal life.”
Mr Biden, who was frequently seen wearing a mask during the White House race in stark contrast to his rival Mr Trump, said the challenge facing the country over coronavirus is still “immense” and “growing” – despite news of a vaccine breakthrough.