Just when you thought nose and throat swabs were bad, here comes China’s anal swab tests for COVID-19.
Yes, the city of Beijing is now turning to COVID anal swabs on its residents, right after news broke out on a fresh outbreak strain of the virus. Here, the nucleic acid swab should be inserted inside the rectum, going down one inch. Then, the swab is rotated several times, right before finishing the 10-second long procedure.
According to experts, the derriere method is much more accurate when compared to the traditional throat and nose tests. Moreover, experts deemed the new method of testing as efficient at picking up traces of the virus.
On health officials went into the nitty-gritty details of how he collects test samples on a routine basis. Here, he talked about inserted the swab about 3 to 5 centimeters, down inside the rectum. Next, he rotates it for a few seconds and immediately takes it out, gently.
After completing two rotatory motions twice, the swab is taken out and placed securely into the sample container. While it sounds like 10 seconds might be short, many complain of the discomfort this test entails.
Recently, a viral video showed a doctor holding a thorough visual demonstration of how the procedure actually works.
China intends to make more use of the derriere technique as the capital carries out a mass testing drive, ever since a 9-year-old boy tested positive for the COVID-19 virus strain, last week.
Ever since January 17th, the Beijing district witnessed 3 million residents receiving COVID-19 testing as a bid to stem the virus, claimed authorities.
Other than that, the state media reported how all 1000 school staff and students from the infected school underwent anal swabs as a precautionary measure to curb the virus’s spread. Disease control experts from China also mentioned how the anal swabs are only being used currently for key groups at several quarantine centers due to their inconvenience.
Speaking to state channel CCTV, a senior doctor mentioned how traces of the virus remain in the feces or anus longer than those seen in nasal and throat swabs.
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