EDITORS' PICK | Jan 27, 2021, 

08:13am EST | 18,069 views

China Deploys Anal Swab Tests

To Detect High-Risk Covid-19
Cases
Robert Hart Forbes Staff
Business
I cover breaking news.

TOPLINE As Chinese authorities struggle to contain rising Covid-19 infections

ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, Beijing has introduced anal
swabs asa new type of coronavirus test that could detect the virus more
accurately.

China has rolled out anal swab test for Covid-19 GETTY

KEY FACTS
• State-run channel CCTV reported that the tests are reserved for high-risk
cases, although there does not appear to be a coordinated policy for them,
with reports of surprise tests for some individuals..

• This includes passengers arriving in Beijing, residents of quarantine

centers and, according to local officials, a group of more than 1,000
schoolchildren and teachers believed to be exposed to the virus.

• The test involves inserting a cotton-tipped swab about 1-2 inches into the
rectum, which will then be tested for the virus.

• Anal swab tests could be more accurate than nose or throat tests, said Li
Tongzeng, deputy director of the respiratory and infectious diseases
department at Beijing You An Hospital, in an interview with state media.

• Li said studies show that the virus lasts longer in the anus or excrement
than in the respiratory tract and that an anal test could be better at
identifying the disease in mild or asymptomatic cases.

• Forbes has reached out to China’s health agency for more details on the
new test’s rollout and approached the U.S. CDC and FDA to see whether
they have plans to introduce anal swab tests.

KEY BACKGROUND

China has been willing to take extreme measures to stop the spread of
Covid-19 in its borders, locking down entire cities or even provinces to
contain outbreaks, quarantining new arrivals for lengthy periods of time and
there are reports of forced testing. The approach appears to have been been
largely successful, however, and the world’s most populous country has
managed to avoid the high caseloads and death tolls seen in other other
nations. Life in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected just over a year
ago, is largely back to normal. Cases have started to rise again and
authorities are mounting a desperate bid to contain outbreaks and vaccinate
millions ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year, where millions are
expected to travel across the country.

CHIEF CRITIC

Not all experts agree with the use of anal swabs to test for a respiratory
illness. Yang Zhanqiu, a pathology expert at Wuhan University, told China’s
Global Times that nose and throat swabs are the most efficient tests for
Covid-19. "There have been cases concerning the coronavirus testing
positive in a patient's excrement, but no evidence has suggested it had been
transmitted through one's digestive system," Yang said.

FURTHER READING

China deploys anal swabs to test for Covid-19 (AFP)

China rolls out anal swab coronavirus tests, saying it’s more accurate than
throat method (Washington Post)

China’s Zero-Tolerance Covid Approach Now Includes Anal Swabs

(Bloomberg)

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Robert Hart
I am a London-based reporter for Forbes covering breaking news. Previously, I have
worked as a reporter for a specialist legal publication covering big data and as a…
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