A new study from Yale University shows that the team has developed a saliva test for neo-coronavirus that is as accurate as, and possibly more accurate than, the commonly used nasal swab method, CNBC reported April 22.
The researchers said their findings suggest that saliva samples can be used on a large scale for home neo-coronavirus testing.
Nasal swab testing has consistently been the "gold standard" for new coronavirus testing, but nasal swab results have low sensitivity and require close contact between medical personnel and infected individuals during sample collection, posing a risk of exposure. Combined with a general lack of swabs and personal protective equipment worldwide, the Yale researchers concluded that there was a need to find a new test.
In this new study, the Yale team collected 44 saliva samples from patients with confirmed new crowns and 121 saliva and nasal swab samples taken by health care workers, corresponding to an accuracy comparison. The results found that saliva testing had higher detection sensitivity and consistency, and less variability when collecting saliva samples themselves.
"Overall, our findings suggest that saliva is a viable and more sensitive alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs for accurate large-scale testing by self-collection of samples at home." The researchers wrote in the article.
Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an emergency use authorization for a new coronavirus saliva test that was developed with support from Rutgers University.
Rutgers says this emergency authorization for the saliva test could increase the number of screenings for the new coronavirus to 10,000 per day.
But health officials and physicians remain skeptical of the test results produced by saliva samples, arguing that they are not as accurate as nasal swabs. This Yale study just happens to add a strong backstop to saliva testing.
However, the Yale study has not yet been peer-reviewed and further validation is needed before it can be replicated on a large scale.
