Halifax research project finds combined throat and nose swab more effective at detecting COVID-19 Omicron variant
A research project out of Halifax could change how we conduct COVID-19 rapid testing.
"We have shown that combined throat and nose does increase your ability to detect Omicron,” said Dr. Todd Hatchette, chief of microbiology with Nova Scotia Health.
Hatchette said researchers found using a single swab to swab your throat and then both nostrils is more effective at detecting Omicron than doing either site alone.
"When we tested just over 1,500 people, we found that either the nose or the throat both detected about 60 per cent of people but if you did a combined nose and throat, it detected over 82 per cent of people,” said Hatchette.
The research started about a week ago. Hatchette said officials at the microbiology lab worked with volunteers to collect the data from a testing site at the Halifax Convention Centre.
"That infrastructure has been unbelievable and without that infrastructure we wouldn't have been able to do this project so quickly and as far as we know, it's the first one of its kind in Canada,” said Hatchette.
One of the reasons behind the project was to see how accurate rapid antigen tests are.
"There's lots of anecdotal evidence that's been on social media and conventional media about the need to do a throat swab, either alone or in combination with the nose, and that goes against the manufactures recommendation. So, before you do something like that you want to prove whether or not it works and that was the reason why we did this project,” said Hatchette.
The findings from the research project have been passed along and changes to the way rapid tests are done in Nova Scotia could be coming.
"We've discussed it at the provincial level and we're in the process of making changes to our recommendations that a combined throat and bilateral nose swab is an acceptable option to increase your ability to detect Omicron,” said Hatchette.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.