China deploys anal swabs to test for Covid-19


A worker in a protective suit takes a swab from a child for a coronavirus test in Shijiazhuang in northern China's Hebei Province. Lockdowns have been expanded and a major political conference postponed in a province next to Beijing that is the scene of China's most serious recent Covid-19 outbreak. - Xinhua

Beijing (AFP): China has begun using anal swabs to test those it considers at high risk of contracting Covid-19, state TV reported, with social media users and travellers squirming over the invasive procedure which doctors say can be more effective in detecting the virus.

Officials took anal swabs from residents of neighbourhoods with confirmed Covid-19 cases in Beijing last week, broadcaster CCTV said, while those in designated quarantine facilities have also undergone the test.

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Covid-19 , Coronavirus , Anal swabs , China

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