Enhancing Rapid COVID Testing Sensitivity with Combined Nose and Throat Swabs

A randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open found that during the Omicron variant surge, a single healthcare worker-collected throat swab had higher sensitivity for COVID-19 rapid antigen testing (RAT) than a nose swab. However, self-collected nose swabs were more sensitive than self-collected throat swabs among symptomatic participants. The study suggests that including throat specimens in testing recommendations could improve the sensitivity of rapid antigen testing. Using both nasal and throat swabs increased sensitivity for both healthcare worker and self-collected specimens. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore the potential benefits of throat specimens in detecting other airway infections.