Saliva tests are as effective at detecting the new coronavirus as PCR tests used on nasal swabs, according to a new test by researchers in the United Arab Emirates.
For more information about coronavirus, our compromised page.
The study, published in the journal Infection and Drug Resistance, decided that it is not mandatory for workers’ medical bodies to take nasal samples to detect the virus.
Researchers from Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Health Sciences collected and analyzed saliva and nasal samples from 401 adults who had visited Khawaneej Health Center for a COVID-19 test.
The effects showed that saliva can be used for virus detection with a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 95%, which makes it as effective as nasal swab.
Read also: Coronavirus: FDA approves Yale COVID-19 saliva test for emergency use
Patients themselves can also administer less invasive screening tests with more saliva, adjusting the way tests have been performed across the country.
Doctors perform COVID-19 nasal sampling tests on teachers and workers in Dubai schools (supplied).