And you found the nasal test uncomfortable …
China is using anal swabs to test its residents for COVID-19 amid a new wave of the outbreak – and local experts say the method is a more accurate way to detect the bug, according to a report.
The buttock detection method is being 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 individuals living at critical points in COVID-19, such as Shanghai. Nasal and throat swabs continue to be 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 being used on individuals in important quarantine areas,” said Li Tongzeng of Beijing You’an Hospital, according to Newsweek. “This will reduce the return of false positives.”
The swabs are inserted 3 to 5 centimeters from 1.2 to 2 inches in the rectum, according to the outlet.
Tongzeng said the method could increase the rate of detectability and reduce the chances of missing a diagnosis.
“What we found is that, in some infected patients, the coronavirus survives for a longer period in their digestive tract or excrement than in their respiratory tract,” Tongzeng told the agency.