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Melian, My issue is chinese made swabs. Maybe using an American made swab for collection would help? Check with them first.

https://blog.puritanmedproducts.com/4-reasons-they-are-not-your-ordinary-drugstore-swab

Not all swabs are created equal. Take, for instance, Puritan’s HydraFlock® and PurFlock Ultra® nasopharyngeal swabs, which are both included in the FDA's preferred swab-based types for viral specimen collection, including COVID-19 testing.

Puritan is the only U.S. manufacturer of this swab type. Unlike an ordinary cotton swab, it’s actually a highly sophisticated diagnostic tool. In fact, it’s regulated, patented, and specialized. This also means these swabs aren’t easy to manufacture on the fly.

In this article, we explore some of the characteristics that make these two styles of flock nasopharyngeal swabs ideal for viral testing. In other words, they're not your typical drugstore cotton swab. " 3. Puritan's Swab Tip Material Historically, nasopharyngeal swabs were made from nylon. Puritan’s patented swabs are made from a synthetic bi-component material that is well-suited for COVID-19 testing, because it allows for sufficient elution into the accompanying transport medium. Not all swab materials are well suited for viral testing. Unlike drugstore swabs, nasopharyngeal swabs cannot be made with cotton or other organic materials. Why? In part because during the testing process, large amounts of virus are grown using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Because cotton is a plant, it has DNA that can interfere with PCR. Nasopharyngeal swabs also can’t be made with calcium alginate, commonly used on swabs for wound care, because this substance can inactivate the virus and invalidate the test. In addition, the swab handle cannot be made of wood because this material can also interfere with test result" I hope this helps and I hope your procedure goes well!