CAPE TOWN - Japan’s government has asked China to refrain from conducting anal swab Covid-19 tests when Japanese citizens enter the country as the procedure causes “psychological pain”.
According to the BBC, China, which has managed to contain the spread of the virus first reported in its Wuhan city in December 2019, started the procedure in January this year.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV confirmed the swabs were being used, with doctors saying they were more effective in detecting the coronavirus. It said officials had taken anal swabs of residents in Beijing.
“Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they received anal swab tests, which caused a great psychological pain,” Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference on Monday.
“Our embassy requested Japanese citizens be excluded from anal PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, as some Japanese expatriates ... expressed the opinion that the tests produce significant psychological distress.”
Kato said it was unknown how many Japanese citizens had undergone the anal tests, adding that his government had so far not received a response from China.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters on Monday the country’s testing methods were "science-based".
"The Chinese side will make science-based adjustments to its relevant epidemic control measures in accordance with the changes in the epidemic situation as well as relevant laws and regulations," said Wang.
Meanwhile, China's latest locally made and first single-dose Covid-19 vaccine which was approved last month is said to provide two-year protection.
According to the National Health Commission, the vaccine has an efficacy rate of 65.7 percent at preventing symptomatic cases and is 90.9 percent effective in preventing severe disease with a single injection.
– African News Agency (ANA), Edited by Stella Mapenzauswa