Israel’s Health Ministry advises home testers to also swab throat

Israel’s Health Ministry advised people testing themselves for the coronavirus at home with a rapid antigen kit to swab their throat before swabbing their nose in order to more successfully detect the omicron variant. This is not in the manufacturer’s instructions and is contrary to the advice provided by the US Food and Drug Administration which said that swabing the throat incorrectly could be a safety risk. Omicron can be transmitted when it has infected someone’s throat and saliva and before it reaches an infected person’s nose.