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“The State Department never accepted this kind of test and protested directly [China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs] when we learned that some staff were subject to it, ”a State Department spokesperson told CNN in a statement Thursday.
“We have received assurances from [the ministry] that this was a mistake and that diplomatic staff are exempt from this testing requirement. We have asked staff to decline this test if asked (as has been done in the past), ”the statement added.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of the anal swab tests being administered.
“As far as I know, and I have also checked with my colleagues, China has never asked US diplomats in China to take anal swab tests,” ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters. during a daily briefing Thursday.
The US diplomatic source told CNN that US officials in China “have been negotiating with the Chinese for some time” to prevent their staff from being subjected to such tests.
Chinese state media have reported in recent weeks that anal swab testing is being used in some cases. Some doctors and studies in China consider them to be more reliable than nasal or throat swab tests.
“Some asymptomatic patients or those with minor symptoms recover quickly [from Covid-19], and throat tests may not be effective for these people in three to five days, ”Li Tongzeng, an infectious disease doctor in China, told CNN.
“The researchers showed that for some infected people, the duration of positive nucleic acid results lasted longer on their feces and anal swab test. [samples] than those of the upper respiratory tract. Therefore, the addition of anal swab testing can improve the positive detection rate of those infected, ”he said.
It is not known whether anal swabs are more effective at detecting Covid-19.
CNN’s Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.
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