To boost the odds of identifying the Omicron variation, Israel’s Health Ministry advised patients who are self-testing for COVID-19, to swab their throat as well as their nose while utilising rapid testing antigen kits on Monday.
The statement goes against the recommendations of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has stated that manufacturers’ instructions should be followed and that improper use of throat swabs could be dangerous.
Sharon Alroy-Preis, Israel’s public health chief, said on Israeli Army Radio that antigen – or lateral flow – tests, which are extensively used in the nation, are less sensitive than PCR testing in diagnosing sickness.++
“Swabbing the throat and nose will be recommended from now on to boost their sensitivity. We’re not following the manufacturer’s instructions, but we’re doing it nonetheless “she stated
A sample should be collected from the throat and then from one nostril, according to the ministry’s standards.
“It has the potential to improve the test’s reliability,” Israel’s pandemic-response coordinator, Salman Zarka, said at a press conference, adding that the ministry would issue a video on how to apply the new method.
Before making the new advice, Zarka said that the ministry had spoken with companies that sell the test kits.
Rhenium, an Israeli antigen kit importer, previously stated that the Health Ministry had not contacted with it prior to publishing the new recommendations, and that the tests, which were not validated by the firm for throat swabs, were intended for nasal swabs.
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