Coronavirus Test Looks Intimidating, But Perhaps Not As Much As Graphics Show
Image via Shutterstock.com
The coronavirus outbreak has prompted many people to get tested in order to allay their concerns.
Aside from having limited access to them, some people fear taking them due to daunting illustrations of a long tool being inserted all the way to the back of your head.
The procedure is actually called a “nasopharyngeal swab,” and requires a healthcare professional to insert a cotton swab through your nasal passage to reach the back of your throat.
Mark Cameron, an immunologist at Case Western Reserve University who worked under the 2003 SARS outbreak, told Mashable that the test might seem terrifying, but it is “maybe uncomfortable” at most and “perfectly normal.”
Dr David Alland, who leads the Division of Infectious Disease at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, said the swab test is just “a little uncomfortable,” on par with the “anxiety” of having a blood test or a shot.
The deep nasopharyngeal swab is one of the most credible tests for the SARS virus, Cameron described. Now, it it is helping people around the world get tested in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, do check the guidelines on World Health Organization and Centers for Disease and Prevention Control before visiting a doctor.
This is how far back we have to put the swab to test you for #COVID19.
— Jessica Peck, DNP APRN CPNP-PC (@DrPeckPNP) March 29, 2020
You might want to follow medical recommendations and #StayHome. pic.twitter.com/gCMqUdpsEk
[via Mashable, cover image via Shutterstock.com]
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