Coronavirus News
One COVID-19 testing site in Dallas is using new less invasive technique
There's a new coronavirus test now available at one testing site in Dallas that is promised to be much less invasive.
The new test is one you can do yourself, and allows you to swab shallowly in your nose.
It replaces the previous method of nasopharyngeal swabs, one that involved a healthcare professional collecting a sample from further up the nasal cavity. Waayyy further up.
The new self-swabbing test kits are now being used at the COVID-19 testing site at the Ellis Davis Field House.
According to a release from the city of Dallas, the self-swab kits were delivered last week and a dry run was conducted at the Ellis Davis Field House on April 14.
Randall Payton, Incident Commander of both testing locations, says in a statement that the self-swab testing method is less invasive and is safer for patients and healthcare providers.
"Health and safety are the primary goals for workers and those being tested," Payton says. "We're confident this new method will decrease the risk of contamination."
For now, Ellis Davis Field House is the only site using them; the site at American Airlines Center will continue using the nasopharyngeal swabs.
