Updated February 2nd, 2021 at 14:18 IST
Anal Swab COVID test in China won't cause discomfort, assure officials after viral video
Chinese officials reportedly assured on February 1 that the newly-introduced COVID-19 anal swab test will not make the ones who use it, ‘waddle’ like penguins.
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After a bizarre video showing people struggling to walk following the anal swab tests went viral on the internet, Chinese officials reportedly assured on February 1 that the newly-introduced COVID-19 test will not make the ones who use it, ‘waddle’ like penguins as depicted in the clip. As per the Forbes report, the Chinese authorities said that the video showing people awkwardly walking out of the hospital, that had already garnered millions of views before it was taken down, does not show people who took the anal swab test for novel coronavirus.
The video shared across social media platforms, with the background music of a laugh track, is doctored and fake, reportedly said Chinese authorities without offering the actual context of the video. But the officials reportedly assured that the test does not cause any kind of discomfort to the subjects and that it has been used only on COVID-19 patients who are hospitalised and have diarrhoea.
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China introduces anal swab test for coronavirus
Amid the rising coronavirus cases in China, the government has begun using anal swabs to test those it considers at high risk of contracting the highly-infectious virus. According to a local broadcaster, the Chinese officials took anal swabs from residents of neighbourhoods with confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beijing. Those in designated quarantine facilities have also undergone the test as localised outbreaks in recent weeks has been seen in multiple cities in northern China.
The surge in COVID cases has prompted mass testing campaigns, which up until now have mostly been conducted using throat and nose swabs. However, Li Tongzeng, who is a senior doctor from Beijing’s You’an Hospital, told the media outlet that the anal swabs method can “increase the detection rate of infected people”. But the anal swabs would not be used as widely as other methods as the technique was “not convenient”.
Meanwhile, more than 80 people have been arrested in China on February 1 in a 'fake vaccine' ring crackdown, operative since September. In Jiangsu, Beijing and Shandong, Chinese police seized more than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccine doses and made arrests against those involved in the manufacture of counterfeit vaccines. According to China’s state-run press, Xinhua, a probe was ordered by the Ministry of Public Security into the matter.
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Image credits: The Associated Press
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Published February 2nd, 2021 at 14:21 IST