Two Weeks Before The Winter Olympics, China Brings Back Anal Swab Testing For Covid

Two Weeks Before The Winter Olympics, China Brings Back Anal Swab Testing For Covid

Just two weeks before the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese government has reinstated anal swab testing for Covid-19 in an effort to halt the spread of the Omicron form.

According to Chinese publication The Beijing News, at least 27 people were subjected to the controversial anal swab tests at an apartment building in Beijing where a 26-year-old woman had contracted Omicron, the city’s first known case of the variation.

The anal tests entail inserting a sterile cotton swab into the rectum up to two inches (5cm) and spinning it numerous times. The swab is then removed and sent to a lab for analysis.

Beijing is currently under a severe lockdown and testing regime following the city’s first local Omicron infection on January 15, with 11 cases verified as of Thursday afternoon, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

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China announced earlier this week that it will no longer sell tickets to the Olympics to the general public, instead allowing only’selected’ spectators to attend, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country hit its highest level since March 2020.

Anal swab testing has been employed in China since 2020, and the country sparked controversy in March of last year when it expanded the use of the anal swabs to all international passengers traveling into Beijing.

At the time, a staffer at a Beijing epidemic control department informed Chinese state media that health officials may force all international arrivals in the city to do the tests, but they are not mandatory for everyone.

The United States, Japan, South Korea, and Germany have all expressed alarm over the tests, despite China’s denial that they are mandatory for US diplomats.

According to official media, the tests can help prevent infections from being missed because remnants can be detected there for longer than in the respiratory system.