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Chinese citizens are clenching up at an invasive new form of COVID-19 testing in the country: anal swabs.
State-controlled media has floated the notion of anal swabbing for “high risk groups” in recent days, citing claims by Li Tongzeng, a deputy director in charge of infectious disease at Beijing You’an Hospital. Some tests have already been conducted, and more are expected as the country moves into its busy Lunar New Year season.
Li says anal coronavirus tests are useful for cutting down on false negative results among high-risk patients, because the virus can linger in the intestinal tract for days after it’s cleared out of the respiratory system.
“If we add anal swab testing, it can raise our rate of identifying infected patients,” he said on CCTV Sunday. “But of course considering that collecting anal swabs is not as convenient as throat swabs, at the moment only key groups such as those in quarantine receive both.”
In other words, citizens won’t be required to drop their pants at test centres across the country, where throat swabs will remain the testing method of choice.
State-controlled media has floated the notion of anal swabbing for “high risk groups” in recent days, citing claims by Li Tongzeng, a deputy director in charge of infectious disease at Beijing You’an Hospital. Some tests have already been conducted, and more are expected as the country moves into its busy Lunar New Year season.
Li says anal coronavirus tests are useful for cutting down on false negative results among high-risk patients, because the virus can linger in the intestinal tract for days after it’s cleared out of the respiratory system.
“If we add anal swab testing, it can raise our rate of identifying infected patients,” he said on CCTV Sunday. “But of course considering that collecting anal swabs is not as convenient as throat swabs, at the moment only key groups such as those in quarantine receive both.”
In other words, citizens won’t be required to drop their pants at test centres across the country, where throat swabs will remain the testing method of choice.
Anal swabs to become China’s No. 2 method for COVID-19 testing - National | Globalnews.ca
After intense lockdowns, mandatory throat swabs and other strict coronavirus restrictions, China is embracing a new testing method: anal swabs.
globalnews.ca
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