Since March, a new round of local epidemics in my country has affected 28 provinces. Omicron is highly concealed and spreads fast. In order to win the battle against the epidemic as soon as possible, many places are racing against the virus and conducting rounds of nucleic acid testing.
The current round of the epidemic in Shanghai has potential risks of outbreaks, and the fight against the epidemic is racing against time.
And when everyone was fighting the epidemic together and actively cooperating with the lockdown and testing, a rumor spread on the Internet to the effect of “The cotton swabs used for sampling have reagents on them, which are poisonous” , some netizens even said that the elderly at home did not want to participate in nucleic acid screening after seeing the relevant rumors, and also asked the younger generation not to undergo nucleic acid testing and antigen testing as much as possible.
Image source: Shanghai Internet rumors
What exactly are the cotton swabs used for nucleic acid testing and antigen testing? Are there any reagents on it? Is it really poisonous? According to the Shanghai rumor-refuting platform, the same answer was obtained from many test kit manufacturers, “The sampling cotton swab is different from the cotton swab used in daily life, but it does not contain reagents, nor is it toxic.”
The cotton swabs for nucleic acid testing and antigen testing are mainly in the form of nasal swabs and throat swabs. The throat swab is generally 15 cm long, and the nasal swab is 6-8 cm long. Tang Rong, the person in charge of the testing kit manufacturer and Mohe Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., introduced that the “cotton swabs” that you see for sampling are not the same as the absorbent cotton swabs we use every day, and should not be called “cotton swabs”. Called “sampling swab”, it is mainly composed of nylon short fiber fluff head and medical grade ABS plastic rod.
Sampling swabs use a spray and electrostatic charge flocking method that allows millions of nylon microfibers to attach vertically and evenly to the shank end.
The flocking process does not produce toxic substances. The flocking method allows the nylon fiber bundles to form capillaries, which is conducive to the absorption of liquid samples like strong hydraulic pressure. Compared with traditional wound fiber swabs, flocked swabs can keep microbial samples on the surface of the fibers, quickly elute >95% of the original samples, and easily improve the sensitivity of the detection.
Tang Rong said that the sampling swab is produced for sampling. It does not contain any soaking reagents, nor does it need to contain reagents. It is only used to scrape cells and virus samples and put them into virus inactivation. in the preservation solution for nucleic acid detection.
Sampling swab magnified. Image source: Shanghai Internet rumors
Shanghai citizens who have experienced “blocking and control screening” have also experienced the testing process of the sampling swab: the testing personnel put the swab into the throat or nose and rub it a few times, and then Take a sampling tube in the left hand, insert the sampled “cotton swab” into the sampling tube with the right hand, and with a little force, the head of the “cotton swab” will be broken and put into the sampling tube and sealed, and the long “cotton swab” rod will be discarded. In the yellow medical waste bin. When using the antigen detection kit, after the sampling is completed, the sampling swab should be rotated and mixed in the preservation solution for at least 30 seconds, and then the swab head should be squeezed against the outer wall of the sampling tube by hand for at least 5 seconds, thus completing the sampling of the sample. elute.
So why do some people experience mild sore throat, nausea, etc. after a test? Tang Rong said that this has nothing to do with collecting swabs. It may be due to individual differences, some people’s throat is more sensitive, or it may be caused by the operation of the testing personnel.It will be relieved soon after the collection is stopped, and it will not cause harm to the body.
In addition, the sampling swab is a one-time use sampler, which is a class of medical device products. According to national regulations, not only production must be filed, but also strict production environment requirements and quality supervision standards. , qualified products must be non-toxic and harmless.
Image source: Shanghai Internet rumors
The “disposable sampler” is a general-purpose product in the medical field. It can sample different parts and be used in different detection behaviors. It is not specially produced for nucleic acid detection or antigen detection.
ThereforeSampling swabs have strict standards in terms of materials, production, processing, and inspection processes to ensure that they are non-toxic and harmless, and can be used with confidence.
Current
The national epidemic prevention and control situation is severe and complicated
Be sure not to spread rumours or believe rumours
Source || Science and Technology Daily