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Chinese authorities have labelled a viral video ‘fake’ after it purportedly showed people walking ‘like penguins’ following an anal swab to test for the novel coronavirus. Officials assured citizens that they would not waddle like the flightless birds after undergoing the medical procedure, which is being used in the country to screen COVID-19 cases. Some … Read more
Beijing is using anal swabs to test its residents for coronavirus, a method that expert says is more accurate and raise the chances of detecting the virus. To collect the nucleic acid samples, the swab needs to be inserted about two to three centimetres (0.8 to 1.2 inches) into one’s rectum and rotated for several … Read more
Daily swabs could replace self-isolation: Lateral flow screening could end the need to isolate if you have been in contact with a Covid-infected person, research suggests Currently anyone in contact with someone with Covid is required to self-isolate But a study has found the scheme could be scrapped and replaced with tests Negative rapid lateral … Read more
Heathrow passengers today had a taste of the new normal as they underwent swab tests before boarding flights to the US. Passengers were seen flooding into the London airport this morning, despite more than 50 countries across the world imposing restrictions on UK travel after the identification of a mutant Covid-19 strain in Britain. However flights … Read more
All-clear for Covid-19 tests at home: Tens of millions of 30-minute virus swabs are set to be sent out… but you can only use them to confirm you need to isolate – NOT to make decisions on whether to mix with family and friends Rapid Covid test cleared for use at home – but with … Read more
A huge operation to roll out ‘hug in a box’ Covid tests to let care home residents see and cuddle their families has begun – with one relative describing finally embracing her loved one as ‘overwhelming’. The Department of Health and Social Care say it will transform the Christmas period with over a million tests … Read more
Felicity Huffman was spotted getting tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. Pulling into a drive-in test site in a parking lot in Los Angeles, the actress, 57, pulled her face mask down and leaned out of her Tesla window as a medic swabbed her nose. She squirmed a little as the test was carried out, looking … Read more
Matt Hancock last night offered families hope on care home testing – but was told by campaigners to move much faster. The Health Secretary has vowed to ring-fence a supply of coronavirus swabs for family visitors in the run-up to Christmas. And he said a pilot scheme at 20 sites would end the need for ‘prison-style’ … Read more
Coronavirus swabs should be analysed in batches to speed up the Government’s lagging testing programme, experts say. The method, known as pooled testing, involves combining multiple swabs in a batch into a single test tube. If Covid-19 is not detected in the combined sample, all patients are presumed to be negative. If any viral particles are … Read more
A drive-in Covid-19 testing centre caused chaos as hundreds of people who were queuing for swabs were turned away after not being sent QR codes to confirm their appointments. People were unable to get a coronavirus test at the site in Catford, southeast London, yesterday because they were not in possession of a QR code. A … Read more