Saliva Tests
Keep your nose out of it: why saliva tests could offer a better alternative to nasal COVID-19 swabs - Pingping Han
image by: Tarrant County Public Health
HWN Suggests
Your Spit Could Be the Best Coronavirus Test
Swabs or spit?
That was the question Anne Wyllie and a team of Yale University scientists set out to answer when they dropped everything they were doing last month and shifted their research focus to studying the new coronavirus.
They soon made an important finding: spitting into a cup appears to be as effective at detecting this virus as sticking a swab into your nose.
And that could have even more important implications for the U.S.’s ability to test large numbers of people for the virus.
Nasopharyngeal swabs are currently the gold standard of specimen collection for the virus. But they’re also in short supply, require health-care professionals wearing protective…
Resources
How an assist from the NBA set up a small Yale lab for a COVID breakthrough
For weeks, Robby Sikka had been scouring the internet, devouring every COVID study he could find. He was looking for any clue to combat a pandemic that had shuttered the NBA’s season and brought the world to a standstill.
How Some Schools Are Using Weekly Testing To Keep Kids In Class — And COVID Out
While rapid antigen tests can cost less than PCR tests and provide results faster, they're less reliable for people who are not showing symptoms, says Smith, the epidemiologist. Highly sensitive saliva-based PCR tests can help identify people before they become infectious. But the person might not get results until the next day. So Smith says she advises schools to use a combination of the two.
Spit in a Tube and Mail It In: A New Frontier in Coronavirus Testing
Communities across the country are starting to roll out at-home saliva test kits. Health officials say they could be a game-changer in detecting and slowing the spread of the virus.
A Rapid Covid Test That’s Also Accurate? The NFL Says It Has One
The league says it has tested a rapid point-of-care test developed by two biotech companies that can be turned around in 30 minutes with accurate results.
Companies Ditch Plans for Rapid Coronavirus Spit Tests at Home
You won’t be buying a rapid spit test anytime soon. But nose-swab versions might be on the way.
Experts question claimed accuracy of Covid-19 saliva tests
Two members of the Royal Statistical Society say UK government’s figures rely on spiked lab tests and not real world tests.
Explainer: what’s the new coronavirus saliva test, and how does it work?
But it’s not as sensitive However, a recent meta-analysis (not yet peer-reviewed) has shown detection from saliva is less sensitive than a nasal swab, with a lower concentration of virus in saliva compared to swabs. It’s important to remember, though, this data is preliminary and must be treated with caution. Nonetheless, this means saliva testing is likely to miss some cases of COVID-19.
FDA clears saliva test for Covid-19, opening door to wider testing
The research team validated SalivaDirect in part by testing NBA players, coaches, and staff, and Yale said the test is now being studied in asymptomatic people through the program with the NBA and its players union.
Keep your nose out of it: why saliva tests could offer a better alternative to nasal COVID-19 swabs
Saliva is an attractive option for detecting SARS-CoV-2, compared with the current tests which involve taking swabs of mucus from the upper respiratory tract. Saliva is easy to access, which potentially makes the tests cheaper and less invasive. Saliva can hold up a mirror to our health, not just of our mouth but our whole body.
Rutgers Professor Created Saliva Test for Covid-19
When the pandemic arrived, Dr. Brooks found himself with the expertise and industry contacts needed to launch a saliva test within weeks. “’We are the McDonald’s of molecular lab services,” Dr. Brooks told the New York Times in July. “We build a process and make it efficient.”
Saliva could hold clues to how sick you will get from COVID-19
Compared with nasal swabs, saliva tests may better reflect infection deep in the lungs.
The Spit Queen, The Economist And The NBA
This is a story about why some institutions are slow to react in a crisis, and why others, like Fast Grants — and also the NBA — move quickly.
Your Spit Could Be the Best Coronavirus Test
As states look for ways to increase their testing capacity, new research suggests that saliva is as effective detecting the virus as swabs.
IBX
New at-home saliva sample collection makes testing easier for sick, quarantined or at-risk patients.
SalivaDirect
We recognized the potential of saliva as a sample type for SARS-CoV-2 to overcome testing challenges. Not only did saliva samples detect COVID-19 cases comparably to nasopharyngeal swabs, but it detected a higher viral load and also picked up asymptomatic cases.
Vault Health
Vault partners with governments and public health systems to deliver COVID-19 testing to local communities at scale. We take pride in our work in the public health sector to make sure we are delivering care to those in need.
Vitagene
Our self-collected coronavirus testing kit uses a hassle-free saliva sample to determine if you are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We’ve partnered with labs operating under the Emergency Use Authorization guidelines issued by the FDA. Our COVID-19 home saliva test kits ship with the highest priority postage for the fast delivery to your home and back to the lab. Within 72 hours of the lab receiving your sample, you will receive secure digital results.
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