Nasopharyngeal collection
- Tilt the patient’s head back slightly and ask them to stay still.
- Insert the swab into one nostril, along the floor of the nasal passage, until the collar touches the outside of the nose.
- Rotate the swab twice in a circular motion and hold it in place for 15 seconds so the flocked tip absorbs secretions.
- Withdraw the swab and repeat in the second nostril with the same swab.
- Insert the swab into viral transport medium, break the shaft against the rim of the tube, and close the lid firmly.
Common mistakes
- Touching the tongue or teeth on the way in — the swab passes along the floor of the nose, not the throat.
- Too shallow: if the collar never reaches the nose, the sample is mostly anterior nasal.
- Skipping the 15-second hold — the flocked tip needs contact time to load.
- Leaving the swab dry in the tube without medium.
Flocked swabs release up to 95% of the collected sample into the medium, compared with roughly 25% for conventional fibre swabs, which is why collection technique and swab type both matter.
