FDA Approves New COVID-19 Saliva Test By Yale Scientists

A new, less evasive COVID-19 test has been approved by the FDA.

According to a report from Yale, a new saliva based test has been granted emergency use authorization by the FDA to determine if a person is infected with COVID-19. Up until now, the primary testing method has been through nasopharyngeal (NP) swabbing.

AKA: A huge swab scraping your brain to determine if you have COVID-19. I have yet to be tested for coronavirus, and honestly the process does not seem appealing. This new testing method is definitely getting my approval so far.

The new test is appropriately named SalivaDirect. The NBA has been participating in a program which allowed Yale scientists to test individuals who may be asymptomatic. The NBA also helped fund research and testing for the program. The test has proven to be highly sensitive, just as its nasopharyngeal testing predecessor.

“Wide-spread testing is critical for our control efforts. We simplified the test so that it only costs a couple of dollars for reagents, and we expect that labs will only charge about $10 per sample. If cheap alternatives like SalivaDirect can be implemented across the country, we may finally get a handle on this pandemic, even before a vaccine,” said Nathan Grubaugh, assistant professor at Yale School of Public Health.

The test should help expedite results and also help relieve costs associated with testing. Since the test has received emergency use authorization from the FDA, tests could be available in just a few weeks.

Would you prefer the new SalivaDirect testing method compared to the NP swab?