[ad_1]
And you thought the nasal test was uncomfortable …
China is using anal swabs to test its residents for COVID-19 amid a new wave of the epidemic – and local experts say the method is a more accurate way to detect the bug, according to a report.
The derriere detection method is used more frequently in Beijing after a 9-year-old boy tested positive for the highly contagious British variant of the virus last month, Newsweek reported.
But anal swabs have been used there since last year, reserved for people living in COVID-19 hotspots such as Shanghai. Nasal and throat swabs remain the most popular methods due to their convenience and speed, according to the outlet.
“Of course, anal swabs are not as convenient as throat swabs, so they are only used on individuals in key quarantine areas,” said Li Tongzeng from Beijing You’an Hospital, according to the report. Newsweek. “This will reduce the return of false positives.”
The swabs are inserted 3 to 5 centimeters 1.2 to 2 inches inside the rectum, depending on the outlet.
Tongzeng said the method can increase the detectability rate and reduce the chances of missing a diagnosis.
“What we have found is that in some infected patients, the coronavirus survives longer in their digestive tract or in their feces than in their airways,” Tongzeng told the newspaper.
[ad_2]
Source link