COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives significantly. One of the things we had to get used to was nasal swabs for PCR testing. They are uncomfortable or even painful compared to a regular saliva test, but also necessary to detect COVID-19 cases and avoid spreading this viral infection.
But then scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a PCR saliva test, which turns out to be at least as accurate as nasal swabs.
Nasal swabs: Precise testing, but discomfort included
We can all agree that saliva swabs are nowhere near as uncomfortable as nasal ones. Nasal cavity is just very sensitive and even the softest cotton swabs cause great discomfort.
Saliva swabs would be a great relief, especially for people who have to be tested regularly. And that is why scientists from the Victoria University of Wellington decided to test a saliva swab test called covidSHIELD developed by the University of Illinois.
How the new saliva test was verified?
Researchers used 147 saliva samples paired with nasal swabs. The main objective was to confirm the accuracy of the covidSHIELD saliva test method in relation to nasal swabs. And the results were extremely positive – researchers discovered that covidSHIELD has accuracy of 99.1 %, which is at least on par with the common nasal PCR tests. In fact, it is likely that saliva testing methods could prove to be more reliable, although it is too early to say that.
Janet Pitman, lead author of the study, said: “With the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, it’s more important than ever that we have options for community testing that are acceptable to people getting tested and deliver reliable results. The covidSHIELD saliva test meets these criteria.”
These new covidSHIELD tests were already used in the US, but scientists are trying to expand their global cooperation to share the technology and diagnostic methods to other locations. In this way they can hope that more people can benefit from simpler saliva swab tests, which in some cases may be preferred.
Advantages already in the near future
Nasal swab PCR tests are quite accurate, but uncomfortable. In fact, they are especially bad for people who have some kind of problems – ongoing infections that are unrelated to COVID-19, nasal injuries, deviated septums and so on. Saliva swab test can be an alternative to the conventional testing methods and it is good to know that it is at least as accurate as the more common PCR tests.
Even if the world is slowly coming out of COVID-19 pandemic, you should not relax – we have no freedom for that. Even if the restrictions will become looser, you are likely to have to continue to get tested before travelling or going to certain workplaces. Saliva swabs could be significantly less uncomfortable and make your pandemic struggles at least a little bit easier.
Source: Victoria University of Wellington
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