No more nose swabs? Why a saliva test for COVID-19 could be a ‘game changer’

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The team says the new saliva-based test is ‘simpler and less invasive’ than traditional nasopharyngeal swab tests for COVID-19. (Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

(Emily Chung, Christine Birak & Marcy Cuttler/ CBC News) — Instead of having an extra-long swab pushed way up your nose, you could soon just spit into a cup to get tested for COVID-19.

SalivaDirect, a cheap, saliva-based test for the disease developed by researchers at Yale University, received emergency authorization for use from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this week. The test was developed with the help of funding from the NBA, National Basketball Players Association and a grant from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

Rather than being commercialized and licensed to particular companies, it’s being released as an “open source” protocol — a recipe that’s freely available for other labs to follow using a variety of commercially available ingredients and equipment.

Unfortunately, the test isn’t yet available in Canada. But here’s why the new test and similar tests under development could be a big step forward in keeping the pandemic under control. (…)

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