A video is going viral on social media that purportedly shows a Chinese healthcare professional demonstrating the process through which an anal swab is collected for Covid-19 test. The demonstration was carried out on a mannequin.
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1355151269095223298?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwAccording to claims being made on social media, foreigners traveling to China will be tested through an anal swab test.
https://twitter.com/RebeccaRambar/status/1355148908515745793?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwThe Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that the test involves the insertion of a saline soaked cotton swab about 3 to 5 centimeters (1 to 2 inches) inside the anus of the person being tested. According to Chinese authorities, it is more accurate than the method involving the throat. However, some people have complained of inconvenience after being subjected to the test.
“Intriguingly, SARS-CoV-2 detection was positive in the anal swab of two patients and negative in throat swab and sputum samples,” a group of Chinese researchers said in a study published in the Future Microbiology journal. Thousands of people in China have already been subjected to the anal swab test. However, it is not yet clear whether the virus already defecated is still infectious.