Dutch health service stops using deep nasal swab for kids' Covid test

Health service GGD will stop using deep nasal swabs to test children up to age 12 for the coronavirus. Instead, kids will be tested with a combination of a shallow nose test and a throat test from April 4, umbrella organization GGD GHOR Nederland confirmed to ANP.

Up to now, most of the 25 GGDs used a combination of a deep nasal swab and throat test to test kids for Covid-19. According to a spokesperson, most children found that not too bad. "But where we can be less invasive, that is great."

The GGDs are responding to a call from Karoly Illy of Dutch pediatric association NKV, who urged Covid-19 testers to be as gentle as possible when testing children. He advised the use of shorter swabs designed specifically for children. According to Illy, these children's swabs offer sufficient certainty for the test and is much less uncomfortable for the kids.