To make sure no potential carrier of coronavirus goes undetected, China has started using anal swabs to test its residents for the virus.
According to a report by Daily Mail UK, in China's capital Beijing, doctors have started using anal swabs as part of a mass testing drive, after a nine-year-old boy tested positive for the virus last week.
The report adds that more than 3 million residents have been tested since 17 January. According to a Chinese disease control expert, China has used anal swabs since last year, but mainly in quarantine centres due to its inconvenience.
Li Tongzeng, a senior doctor from Beijing's You'an Hospital, told state broadcaster CCTV, that the anal swab method "can increase the detection rate of infected people" as traces of the virus linger longer in the anus than in the respiratory tract.
According to China's National Health Commission, to collect samples, the swab needs to be inserted about three to five centimetres (1.2 to two inches) into the rectum and rotated several times. After this, it needs to placed inside a sample container.
Meanwhile, China has administered 22.77 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and increased its daily testing capacity for the virus to 15 million in a stepped-up drive to combat the latest resurgence of cases in the country ahead of the Chinese New Year holidays, health authorities said on Wednesday.
The effort, which began six weeks ago, targets key groups such as medical and transport workers. Authorities are strongly discouraging people from travelling during the Lunar New Year holiday, a time when Chinese people return to their hometowns for family gatherings, as per the tradition.
About 1.6 million doses had been given over several months before the campaign began. Zeng Yixin, vice chairman of the National Health Commission, said 22.76 million doses have been administered as of Tuesday.
(With inputs from agencies)
