FDA alerta contra o uso incorreto do teste caseiro de COVID-19 que exige esfregaço nasal

Viral social media posts say swabbing your throat will yield a more accurate COVID-19 test. The FDA warns it could be dangerous.

AUSTIN, Texas — After a trend on social media, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns about safety concerns in swabbing your throat for an at-home COVID-19 test.
Throughout most of the pandemic, many at-home tests required swabbing nostrils for COVID-19. Other tests have included saliva in a tube, a less invasive nose swab and others.

No entanto, with the new omicron variant, some experts are recommending those being tested also swab their throats. This comes after the FDA said at-home COVID-19 test have reduced sensitivity to omicron.

Since then, adding esfregaços de garganta to self-administered tests has gained attention on social media. Epidemiologist Michael Mina retweeted someone who tested negative multiple times through cotonete nasal tests but then tested positive when adding a throat swab.

He posted on Twitter saying that symptoms start early with omicron, and there’s a chance the virus isn’t growing in the nose but could start further down in places like the throat. Então, he recommends adding a throat swab.

No entanto, the FDA cautions against this advice.

In a statement to KVUE, they said the COVID-19 test should be used as the instructions state.

“The FDA advises that COVID-19 tests should be used as authorized, including following their instructions for use regarding obtaining the sample for testing,” said a spokesperson for the agency. “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 healthcare provider.”

Fonte: KVUE