Nose or throat swab: what is the best way to administer a COVID-19 rapid test at home?
Posted Jan 8, 2022 3:43 pm.
Last Updated Jan 9, 2022 9:49 am.
With the COVID-19 Omicron variant on the rise in Canada and rapid tests becoming more common in households, questions are surfacing around the best way to swab for accurate results – a nose swab, a throat swab, or both?
People have taken to social media using the hashtag #swabyourthroat. Some claim a nose swab resulted in a negative test, but a nose swab combined with the throat and mouth swab produced a positive test result.
One expert is recommending covering all the bases when doing at-home COVID-19 testing.
“I’ve seen people test positive with the mouth swab, I’ve seen people test positive with the throat swab, and people test positive with the nasal swab,” said emergency room physician Dr. Joe Vipond.
“It seems like the best thing to do is get it all with one. So, rub it into the back of the throat, get some tongue saliva on there, then pop it up the nose, both nostrils. You can do that all with the same swab.”
A recent study looked at both methods of COVID testing. It found that Omicron has been shown to spread faster than previous variants with increased symptoms of sore throats. It determined that Omicron may be better detected by saliva than nasal swabs.
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While Vipond is an advocate of the throat and nasal swab when conducting an at-home rapid test, one provincial health authority does not agree with that method.
Alberta Health does not recommend collecting samples that way, saying more medical and scientific studies need to be conducted.
In a statement to CityNews, Alberta Heath said “commercial tests… should be performed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
“We will continue to monitor the evidence and will update Albertans if recommendations change.”
Vipond warns that regardless of how the sample is collected, a negative test result shouldn’t be taken as a green light to gather with others.
“We have seen that fail so many times with omicron and we think that’s because people are becoming infected prior to the rapid test becoming positive,” he said. “So, you can be asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic and spreadable before you get the positive test.
“If you have a negative, you need to test again the next day. A single negative isn’t efficient. You need to do serial testing.”
