Taking a COVID rapid test? You may want to swab your nose and throat.

Taking a COVID rapid test? You may want to swab your nose and throat.

According to Andrew Noymer, an epidemiologist [and associate professor of public health] with the University of California, Irvine, respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2 can infect all parts of our respiratory tract, which is basically anything that brings air into your body — this includes your nose, throat, mouth, windpipe and lungs. Although the nose and throat are both part of the upper respiratory system and closely connected, there may be some differences in the amount of virus in the nose versus the throat.