China has denied subjecting US diplomats to Covid-19 anal tests following reports from Washington that some of its personnel were being made to undergo the procedure. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a daily briefing: "China has never asked US diplomats in China to go through anal swab tests." The Washington Post reported last week that some US personnel had told the department they had been subjected to the anal tests. The procedure has been applied in China because it is reportedly more accurate than nasal or mouth swabs. "But the virus lasts longer from the samples taken from the patient's digestive tract and excrement, compared to the ones taken from the respiratory tract.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 25, 2021 20:35 UTC