Saliva tests and the state of testing

Saliva tests and the state of testing

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is using a new, fast saliva test for coronavirus under an emergency use authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration. The university’s test is similar enough to one called SalivaDirect, which was developed at the Yale School of Public Health, to allow authorization, Dr. Marty Burke, associate dean for research at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine said. These kinds of tests are an important addition to our testing arsenal. We’ve seen delays that meant our testing system isn’t robust enough to help clamp down on cases. The Illinois test can give results in about three hours. That’s a big difference from the days it might take a nasal swab test sent to a lab. In one day, the university was able to test 10,000 people. And with increasing concerns about transmission in schools and colleges, having this kind of quick testing is necessary -- and cheaper.  Ultimately, the kind of test we need is one that is accurate and acts more like a pregnancy test, so you get your results really quickly. That’s going to be the key. Seeing independent organizations step up to diversify our test options is exactly what we need right now.