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After China declared that it had stopped the progression of the new coronavirus in the country, on March 19, 2020, claiming that it had no more cases, it began registering new outbreaks this month. The Chinese government is committed to limiting cases of infection and ending the disease once and for all, now with a new detection technique.
The information was confirmed by the Chinese authorities to the state channel CCTV, who explained that last week anal samples were taken from residents of neighborhoods in the capital where cases of Covid-19 had been confirmed.
Rectal screening “helps increase the detection rate of infected people” because the coronavirus remains longer in the anus than in the respiratory tractDr Li Tongzeng from You’an Hospital told CCTV.
Although it is not the most common technique or the one used preferably by the authorities, several individuals have already undergone “anal smears”, many without having been previously informed of the specific screening. In addition to thousands of people in the north of the country, where more than 1,700 cases emerged, students and teachers from schools in Beijing were also tested with the usual crops collected from the nose and throat, and with this new rectal testing technique later a asymptomatic test. case has been identified in an educational institution.
This came after genetic sequencing revealed two cases of the most transmissible variant of the coronavirus discovered last month in the UK. Since then, the capital has been on high alert. More than 1,200 people have been tested at a school attended by a student with an asymptomatic case. of the British strain “.
However, the new technique does not seem to please most. Especially those who travel to Beijing and are subjected to anal harvests.
On Monday, passengers on a flight from Changchun, capital of Jilin province, to Beijing, were also instructed to disembark after authorities discovered someone from an area considered high-risk was on board. The travelers were then taken to a hotel where health professionals collected nasal and anal samples, one of these passengers explained to Bloomberg.
So far, there are no reports that this new detection technique is being used in other countries, but the media confirms that there are already several reports of people who do not live in Beijing and have passed the new “invasive” test.
“A resident of Guangzhou City reported that he did the anal and nasal tests. A user of the Weibo social network said she felt embarrassed, but also went through the new method.”.
“Anal swabs” versus nasal swabs
The new method is relatively similar to the traditional swab, but It involves inserting a cotton swab, soaked in saline solution, about two to three centimeters into the anus..
The use of the new harvesting technique is based on research that concluded that There are more traces of the virus in the region of the anus and for longer than in the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng explained., deputy director of the Department of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases at You An Hospital in Beijing, in an interview with the state channel last week.
“The coronavirus survives longer in the anus or stool than in samples taken from the upper body”said the researcher.
These studies also indicate that the virus can be present in the throat of asymptomatic patients for three to five days, so the doctor believes that anal harvests should be considered instead of the usual nose and throat harvests.
Thus, anal harvests may be more accurate than throat and nose tests, especially in identifying asymptomatic cases, he added, adding that this “controversial” technique is only being used in risk groups..
However, Tongzeng admitted that the technique “is not as convenient as the throat test” and suggested that it should be applied only to “priority groups” in quarantine centers..
Some experts also question the application of this new form of detection for Covid-19 cases.
“I don’t understand why Beijing added anal swabs. It’s not like scratching your throat. You need a certain place and the risk of these transmission routes is lower.”Jiang Qingwu, professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health at Shanghai Fudan University, told Bloomberg. “Maybe they want to find remains? Is it true that the virus can be detected in the anus”.
The state channel also said Sunday that the use of cotton swabs in the anal route would not begin to be used as a preferred method.
As cases rise around the world, China imposes tighter restrictions on international arrivals in an effort to limit transmission of the virus in the country.
