We’ve seen or experienced nasal or throat COVID-19 testing…and perhaps even anal testing. But could saliva testing be the avenue to produce rapid and accurate test results and thereby restore confidence in travel?
Saliva COVID-19 Testing: Less Invasive, More Accurate
In New Zealand, staff at Auckland Airport undergo regular COVID-19 testing. Though stringent lockdowns, contact tracing, and border closures, New Zealand has experienced less than 5,000 COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths. One way it stops community spread is to frequently check all “front-line” staff, including airport workers.
But nose swabs or throat softs (I cannot personally speak for anal swabs…) are immensely uncomfortable. There’s nothing like putting a stick up your nose all the way past your eye…
Enter saliva testing, specifically the SHIELD test developed by the University of Illinois. Not only is it less invasive, but it produces quicker and more accurate results. Furthermore, it does not require health care professionals to administer.
Mary-Liz Tuck, a manager at Auckland Airport, told Stuff New Zealand:
“It will mean we can have more frequent surveillance testing – and that means a better chance of catching positive cases early before they reach the infectious stage, reducing the risk of community transmission.”
A widespread adaption of COVID-19 saliva testing could create conditions to detect the virus before symptoms begin, thereby further reducing community spread. That could embolden travel and commerce once again.
CONCLUSION
The idea of a rapid, accurate test without having to endure the discomfort of a nasal or throat swab (I find nasal swabs the worst) is appealing. I was not even aware of such testing technology, but will now seek it out next time I must travel.
Would you be more conformable with testing if it there was no discomfort?
“Air New Zealand has experienced less than 5,000 COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths…” I think this is an incredible amount for just 1 airline.
I did say less than! 😉
Incredible number.
Fewer than.
What am I missing here? Saliva tests have been available in the US since last year. My son actually did one and it was extremely easy. You just spit on a little plastic tube, place the lid and it mixes with a blue liquid. The only thing is that it took 24 hours to get the results back but I think it was just because there were way too many tests being done at the same time. But again, it is available here and it is very easy to get it done.
Quite honestly, this was news to me. And after enduring more than 20 nose or throat swabs since the pandemic started, I’m all for saliva testing!
@Matthew: Take a look here https://www.mspairport.com/airport/covid-19-testing-site
This is available for free since November 2020. I was very surprised on how easy it is. There was a suspicion that my 11 year old had been exposed to someone that tested positive for Covid so the school asked us to get him tested. It was 20 minutes in an out. You definitely need a smartphone to make the process smooth since you have to scan a bunch of codes to get you in the system. Once all is done you get an email in 24 hours with the results. BTW, it was free.
The nasal swab aren’t all equally uncomfortable by the way. Here in Santa Clara County, they use the short swabs so it’s actually fine. The test I took in Mesa County in Colorado though did feel like it went up my entire nose, and made me finally realize why people were complaining so much.
Still, saliva tests should be better! I imagine these could eventually even be administered by yourself, as I’ve heard they do in Hong Kong on arrival.
The saliva test my son did has zero interaction with any other person. You receive a little bottle, scan the bar code on the bottle with a smartphone and follow all the process on the screen. You spit in the tube until you reach a level, close the lid and a blue liquid mixes in. Deposit it in a box and get teh results by email in 24 hours.
Come on, the swabs aren’t that bad. I’ve had both the PCR and lateral flow antigen swabs and an antibody test with prick. The PCR swab was certainly worst, but hardly the trauma that people seem to be making it out to be. People just don’t know what real suffering is anymore, what with mean words being called “literal violence.” PCR tests are poorly suited for the purpose of safeguarding travel anyway. Mass antigen testing would be far more effective.
It’s disappointing that you haven’t had the anal test. I would have thought this might have been undertaken as a service to your subscribers, so that we might be better informed about ALL aspects of testing. If it’s inconvenient you can ask Kyle to try it in your stead,
i have had the saliva test once a week since I moved into college. it’s very convenient and ours is actually PCR not rapid but we usually get results in <24 hrs anyway
In Hong Kong we’ve been using PCR saliva testing since March 2020, there is no problem, don’t need to suffer through nasal or throat swab.
I feel somewhat stupid I didn’t know this until now. Thanks for sharing.
Hey it’s not your fault They should have set up more of this saliva test at different airports and testing centers so that more people know about it.
I go to the University of Florida and we’ve had the saliva tests since October. It’s so easy—for the drive thru location, you get handed a vial and then you can park while you produce your sample. It’s very little contact and I think they are able to handle more saliva tests since you need fewer staff. I typically get tested every 1-2 weeks, and I can’t imagine getting swabbed that often.
Saliva tests are what dogs use to detect covid in Finland. Also, my brother has to do them twice a week for his job and they use the saliva one instead of the nasal test.