SWISH and Spit Test

A saliva test, developed by Yale, funded by the NBA, could be the answer to a widespread and cheap test for SARS-Cov2, the virus that causes Covid-19. This is not a testing kit, but a testing method, a protocol that was devised by scientists at Yale. The method, called SalivaDirect, has received an EUA, an Emergency Use Authorization, from the FDA. Currently the EUA is only valid for suspected Covid cases, people who have developed symptoms, or had an exposure to the virus. They are teaming with with the NBA to see if it would also detect asymptomatic cases in a subset of the population. The players and staff are being tested anyway, using the currently nasal swab method. So spitting in a cup on the same day is an easy ask. So far, the results from the nasal swab and the saliva tests have matched almost completely.

The SalivaDirect method skips a step of RNA extraction. This one step takes longer and makes the test more expensive. Taking this one step away makes the test slightly less accurate, but because it’s cheaper it can be used more widespread, and the results will come back faster.