Tokyo asked Beijing to stop doing anal swab tests for Covid-19 on Japanese citizens because the procedure causes psychological pain, a government spokesman said.
Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Katsunobu Kato, said the government had not received an answer that Beijing would change the testing procedure, so Japan will continue to ask China to change the form of testing.
“Some Japanese people reported to our embassy in China that they did anal smear tests, which caused great psychological pain,” Kato told a news conference.
It is not known how many Japanese people received these tests for the coronavirus, he said.
Some Chinese cities were using samples taken from the anus to detect possible coronavirus infections while China intensified testing to ensure that no potential infections were lost. In January, state TV reported that the swabs were being used to test those countries considered to be at high risk of contracting the coronavirus in China.
Asked about the complaint, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Beijing’s testing methods were “based on science” and “in line with changes in the epidemic situation, as well as laws and regulations. relevant regulations “.
China’s Foreign Ministry last month denied that US diplomats in the country were required to have Covid-19 anal swab tests, after media reports that some complained about the procedure.
Tests using anal smears can prevent the loss of infections, as traces of viruses in fecal samples or anal smears can remain detectable longer than in the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a respiratory disease doctor in Beijing, told state television. in January.
Stool tests may also be more effective at detecting infections in children and babies, as their residues carry a higher viral load than adults, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said in an article published last year.