SALIVA-BASED COVID-19 TESTING MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE AT DETECTING OMICRON VARIANT

SALIVA-BASED COVID-19 TESTING MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE AT DETECTING OMICRON VARIANT

January 24, 2022

by Cara G

Experts are diligently working towards finding new and efficient ways to test for COVID-19. As testing continues, experts are calling to pivot to saliva-based tests, which may detect infections days earlier than a nasal swab test would.

In normal circumstances, respiratory infections are tested through the nose. However, the spread of the Omicron variant and home-test sensitivity sparked a debate over the best way to detect the virus.

“The virus shows up first in your mouth and throat,” Dr. Milton said. “That means that the approach we’re taking to testing has problems.”

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a new saliva PCR CPVID-19 test created by Yale School of Public health for pooled saliva samples. Multiple samples can be tested at once and allow labs to process the tests faster.

“As vaccination programs gain ground and help us protect against severe COVID-19 cases, we must remain cautious. Adopting frequent testing as a new public health habit will help keep us safe from infection and keep our schools, workplaces, and businesses open,” said Anne Wyllie, principal investigator of SalivaDirect and research scientist at the Yale School of Public Health. “Sample pooling with SalivaDirect provides labs with an additional tool they can use to minimize testing materials, increase throughput, and report faster results.”

The approach sounds great, but many complications come with testing saliva. For example, if a person drinks coke before their test, the PH will differ. Thus, experts may have to try different approaches for different situations. A nasal swab may be better for people who have already had symptoms for a few days.

Futhermore, Saliva testing might be more useful for a large surveillance screen of asymptomatic people, Dr. Hanson of the clinical microbiology lab at Hennepin County Medical Center suggested.

Conclusively, scientists are working for our country to have multiple testing options. Having the ability to choose between them based on circumstance will be a massive step in the right direction. In addition, furthering testing options could help during future pandemics and had COVID-19 sticks around.