Why is the nasal swab for coronavirus so deep?

[Dennisss]

Hello dear experts,

I’d like to know why

a) they would take a coronavirus swab from both your nose and your throat? Isn’t the virus kind of everywhere in the liquids of your respiratory system?

b) why is the nasal swab for coronavirus so deep? We’re supposed to keep the social distance of 1,5 m, which means that it should actually be more than enough to analyse a spit, a snot or just a swab from your tongue or from the beginning of your nostrils or at least just not that deep.

Thanks

[Dennisss]

ok, supposedly, the virus lives so deeply, but then, why bother keeping social distancing?

[AnnieBrooke]

That would be a good argument if the virus never came out, but it does.

I think the answer is, test manufacturers prefer to use the surest source they can reach readily.  The virus molecules are almost certainly more concentrated (more units per droplet of liquid) in the top back of the throat, making that location a better place to get a sample that will not give a false negative. One of the problems with saliva-based tests, for example, is that it's a lot of saliva to wade through to seek out virus molecules. (And as a result, those tests are often not accurate.) We can and do sneeze and cough out the molecules, that's why 280,000 people so far have died. But it's more practical to capture the virus molecules where there are the most but still reachable. (In other words, without having to poke something into your lung, which might have a super concentrated amount, but it's not practical for general testing.)

[Paxiled]

I just want to emphasize for you what Annie just said.  280,000 people dead.  Worldwide a whole lot more.  Millions infected.  You social distance because the virus has figured out, insomuch as it operates by evolving, how to get from person to person.  The virus lives deeply.  It lives shallowly too.  But the main point is, it travels.  It hops rides when you sneeze, cough, talk loudly, spit, sing, shout -- and that's why you don't want to be that close for very long to someone else and why you wear a mask.  I'm not trying to be mean here, but your question assumes nobody is getting sick when millions are getting sick.  We have a problem with this virus unlike any other disease we face, which is it has been politicized.  Wearing a mask has been politicized.  Distancing has been politicized.   And so people who like to do this kind of thing have poisoned us with conspiracy theories and misinformation and confused everyone.  Hopefully our recent election will help mitigate this problem, but we'll see.  It's become deeply rooted in a large portion of the world's people, and now they are also reluctant to get a vaccine.  But the virus doesn't care a whit about what we believe or want or care about.  It's an equal opportunity menace.  It has no conscience, no philosophy, only an evolutionary command to replicate.  For that it needs hosts.  We're the new hosts.  That's why we distance.  Peace.

[specialmom]

Denisss, It does seem like they are trying to get a piece of your eye ball with the tests!  Hopefully we continue to get better options.  

[AnnieBrooke]

The swab that enters the nose is not a "nasal swab" per se, it uses the nose as an entry point but reaches all the way to the upper back of the throat. Evidently a sample of nasal mucus does not give reliable information.

They are working on a saliva-based test, even one that could be done at home, and if they get there that would obviously be more comfortable.

[Paxiled]

But it won't be as accurate.  None of the quick tests are accurate enough to be all that helpful, including the home one.  It will be more comfortable, but again, won't have the accuracy.  On the other hand, we'll be able to test repeatedly and I assume that helps compensate for it not being very accurate, but one of the reasons for the super spreader White House is they use a quick test and it just isn't accurate enough.

[specialmom]

anniebrooke, I agee.  Tests are getting better and better and look forward to the saliva tests.

[Paxiled]

Uh, no.  They aren't getting more accurate, as I just said, the newer ones are in fact much less accurate.  They are quicker, but far less accurate.  The same tests we started with are still the best ones and they have always been the best ones, but we've never put the resources into getting them evaluated quickly so the labs that process them have been and remain backed up, which is why they are slower.  But they are still way more accurate.  

[AnxiousNoMore]

If you want to get a nasal swab test you have to accept that the test has been created in accordance with scientific principles the FDA approved. The swab is painful for the patient, but there are scientific reasons why they jab it so far in there.