Coronavirus Case: Influencer Who Licked Toilet Seat For 'Coronavirus Challenge' Reportedly Tests Positive

A social media influencer is now, reportedly, hospitalized after he posted a video of himself licking a public toilet as a part of the trending "coronavirus challenge." In a now-suspended Twitter account, the Beverly Hills-based Tik Tok user claimed that he has tested positive for the coronavirus.

There is, so far, no confirmation as to whether the 21-year-old actually tested positive for coronavirus. But, he is said to have exhibited flu-like symptoms. Larz also previously faced scrutiny for his viral video where he licked tubs of ice cream in supermarkets.

Unfortunately, Larz is not the only one who engaged in the potentially dangerous act on social media. It is believed that the so-called coronavirus challenge began in mid-March with Tik Tok user and influencer Ava Louise who licked an airplane toilet seat, seeming to poke fun at the public service announcements circulating on social media about COVID-19.

Although Ava Louise, later, explained that she had bleached the toilet seat before licking it, many other social media users followed suit, licking from toilet seats to car door handles and public transport poles.

Many of the videos have since garnered millions of views on various social media platforms.

This practice is not only dangerous for the people who are doing the "challenge" but, it could also endanger the other people who would use the items. One of the ways that people can contract the coronavirus is by touching virus-infected droplets on a surface and, then, touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

If someone who did the challenge did not know that he or she had the virus, the virus could inadvertently be passed onto the others who would use the items. In a way, the act defies the current guidelines set to prevent the further spread of the pandemic.

Recently, authorities have also been investigating the social media videos of teenagers coughing on produce.

Only this week, the Justice Department began allowing federal law enforcement to use the U.S. anti-terrorism laws to investigate the people who threaten or attempt to intentionally spread coronavirus. In a memo, the Department explains that coronavirus meets the “statutory” definition of a biological agent under federal law and therefore such acts could fall under terrorism.

Other coronavirus-linked criminal activities include spreading hoaxes as well as threats that target individuals or the general public.