American diplomats in China were FORCED to take humiliating and invasive coronavirus anal swab tests

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On Thursday, Feb. 25, a spokesperson for the Department of State confirmed that American diplomats stationed in China were forced to take humiliating and invasive Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) anal swab tests.

The State Department made the announcement after several diplomatic staff in the communist nation complained to higher-ups in Washington, D.C. about being forced to undergo the intrusive procedure. Chinese authorities have long claimed that the anal swab tests are much more accurate than nasal or throat-based testing methods.

“The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing, and protested directly to the [Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs] when we learned that some staff were subject to it,” said a State Department spokesperson in an email to alternative news outlet The Epoch Times.

“The Department is committed to guaranteeing the safety and security of American diplomats and their families while preserving their dignity, consistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, as well as other relevant diplomatic law provisions,” added the spokesperson.

Chinese health officials claim anal swab tests more accurate

Anal swab tests were first deployed in Beijing in early January when medical authorities first gave them to people in quarantine sites who were in contact with confirmed coronavirus patients. After its supposed success in the Chinese capital, it was also rolled out in virus hotspots around the country, like Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning provinces.

The test involves inserting a cotton swab soaked in saline solution about two to three centimeters into the anus and twisting slightly before retracting it.

Chinese state media outlets have been vigorously promoting the new testing method by quoting supposed medical specialists, including one Dr. Li Tongzeng, a Beijing doctor specializing in respiratory diseases. Li gave television interviews in late January where he claimed that traces of the virus could remain in fecal matter for longer periods of time than virus traces in the respiratory tract.

The National Health Commission, China’s executive department responsible for formulating health policies, claimed that anal swabs can detect the coronavirus earlier than nasal swabs.

“And there are a small number of patients whose rectal swabs continue to test positive after their nasal swab has turned negative towards the end of their treatment,” wrote the commission on its official WeChat account. “Therefore, adding rectal tests can improve the detection rate, reduce false-negative results and avoid misdiagnoses.”

The Health Commission has not recommended anal swab tests for mass deployment because of people’s “low acceptance” of it. It said the test will not be rolled out nationwide and will not be made mandatory.

Health officials also quoted a study done by the Chinese University of Hong Kong published last year that suggested stool tests may be more effective in detecting coronavirus infections in children and infants because their waste carries higher viral loads than adults.

But the process has caused alarm among both Chinese citizens and foreign tourists because health workers would often violate patient privacy by performing the tests in front of other people. Many visitors have remarked that they would rather travel to other countries than be forced to receive an anal swab test in China.

Chinese news portals have quoted several visitors from South Korea who were shocked that they were required to take the test upon entering the country.

“The children were no exception,” said one tourist quoted by South Korean newspaper Kukmin Ilboi. The tourists said they were given the choice of either getting an anal swab or providing a stool sample to health authorities for examination.