China has brought back anal swab testing to screen for Covid-19 in a bid to stop the spread of the Omicron variant, just two weeks before the Beijing Winter Olympics begin.
At least 27 people underwent the controversial anal swab tests at an apartment building in Beijing where a 26-year-old woman had contracted Omicron, the city's first recorded case of the variant, reported Chinese newspaper The Beijing News.
The anal tests involve inserting a sterile cotton swab up to two inches (5cm) into the rectum and rotating it several times. The swab is then removed before being analysed in a lab.
Beijing is in the midst of a strict lockdown and testing regime after the city reported its first local Omicron infection on January 15, and 11 cases have been confirmed in the capital as of Thursday afternoon, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
A diagram used by a Chinese doctor to explain the use of anal tests for Covid-19, a practice which has drawn protests from various foreign governments
A security guard wearing a face mask walks not far from the venues for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, in Beijing, China, on 17 January
Earlier this week, China cancelled plans to sell tickets to the public for the Olympics and said only 'selected' spectators will be permitted to attend, as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country reached their highest since March 2020.
And organizers today said the already scaled back Olympics torch relay will be cordoned off from the general public because of Covid measures.
The residential area of Haidian district where the confirmed Omicron case lives has been sealed off, with large barriers erected to stop people from going in and out, while tests - including anal swabs - are conducted.
Anal swab testing has been used in China since 2020, but became prevalent in Beijing in January 2021 after a nine-year-old boy tested positive for the virus.
China sparked further controversy in March last year when it expanded the use of the anal swabs to any foreign travellers flying into Beijing.
A staffer at a Beijing epidemic control department told Chinese state media at the time that all international arrivals in the capital could be ordered to take the tests by health officials, although they are not compulsory for everyone.
And in Shanghai, travellers from high-risk regions and those who arrive on planes with at least five positive cases had to take a full battery of tests, including anal swabs.
The US, Japan, South Korea and Germany, all raised concerns about the tests, although China has denied claims that they are required for US diplomats.
Doctors have told state media that the tests can prevent infections from being missed because traces are detectable there for longer than in the respiratory tract.
A health worker wears protective clothing as he helps people register for a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 at a private testing site on January 17, 2022 in Beijing, China
China has largely avoided major virus outbreaks with a regimen of lockdowns, mass testing for COVID-19 and travel restrictions, although it continues to fight surges in several cities, including the port of Tianjin, about an hour from Beijing.
Beijing has tested more than 13,000 people after their first Omicron case, in search of cases of cross transmission.
The office building where the woman who tested positive worked was
