Canada unveils 'swirl, gargle and spit' Covid test for school-aged children

Test, which is only offered to children in British Columbia, involves gargling saline solution and spitting it into a tube

Authorities in Canada have unveiled a new non-invasive coronavirus test that avoids the need for intrusive nasal swabs, in a development which they hope will making testing easier and more accessible for students as they return to schools.

The new testing method, unveiled Thursday, is a significant departure from the standard - and often painful - nasopharyngeal swab, which remains the most common method of detecting Covid-19.