Throat swabs are common in some countries, but most self-tests in the United States require nasal samples<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, Jan. 10, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Swabs that come with at-home rapid antigen COVID-19 tests should be used in the nose and not the throat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns.<\/p>\n
It issued the warning on Twitter<\/a> in response to reports that some people are using swabs intended for nasal samples to take samples from their throats and are posting their results on social media with the hashtag #SwabYourThroat. The trend began after early research suggested saliva may be a better way to detect the omicron variant.<\/p>\n “The FDA advises that COVID-19 tests should be used as authorized, including following their instructions for use regarding obtaining the sample for testing,” an FDA spokesperson told CNN<\/em>. “The FDA has noted safety concerns regarding self-collection of throat swabs, as they are more complicated than nasal swabs — and if used incorrectly, can cause harm to the patient. The CDC recommends that throat swabs be collected by a trained health care provider.”<\/p>\n Throat swabs are common in some countries, but most COVID-19 self-tests in the United States require nasal samples.<\/p>\n It may turn out that throat swabbing is an effective way to gather material for tests, Sten Vermund, M.D., a pediatrician and infectious disease epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health, told CNN<\/em>. “But that data isn’t there yet.”<\/p>\n