Announced faster and easier than the PCR test, saliva screening tests for Covid-19 will have to wait for the results of ongoing studies on their reliability before being deployed.
- It must be ensured that saliva is indeed a reliable liquid for measuring the presence of the virus.
- A study is underway in Guyana and another will start at the APHP in Paris.
Will saliva tests replace nostril swabs, known as PCR tests? “Studies are in progress”, moderated Olivier Véran, Thursday August 26 during the government press conference, while these tests appear more effective, faster and less painful than the PCR tests currently used. “First, you have to make sure that saliva is a reliable liquid to measure the presence of the virus.“, said the Directorate General of Health (DGS) to AFP. SARS-CoV-2 could be present there in smaller quantities.
Tests for airports
To assess the effectiveness of saliva tests, a study was launched at the Andrée Rosemon Hospital Center in Cayenne, Guyana. Another one “will start in the next few days” at the APHP in Paris to compare the reliability of the test with the nasal swab. At the same time, the other saliva test projects, such as EasyCov which is developed in Montpellier and provides a result in just one hour, screening points will be set up to compare their performance with PCR tests.
The objective of these tests is to participate in the fight against Covid-19 and to speed up screening. “In mass screening, it is necessary to be able to quickly rule out non-sick people without too many errors (the test must have good sensitivity)”, continued the DGS. So-called field saliva tests could “be used as rapid tests in places of passage for example, such as airports, etc..” This could make it possible to separate those who are suspected of being sick, who can carry out a new test to confirm or deny the first, from the others.
New screening labs in Paris
In the will displayed by the government to increase the number of screening tests, the City of Paris has announced the deployment of free laboratories in the capital. “Faced with the upsurge in the number of Covid-19 cases observed throughout the national territory, screening is an essential action to contain the spread of the virus.advances the City of Paris in a communicated. In addition to the screenings that can be carried out in private laboratories, the City of Paris and the Regional Health Agency offer in each arrondissement free screening places for everyone, including the uninsured..”
In the United States, a saliva screening test, developed by a researcher at Yale University, has been available on the market since mid-August. This test, called SalivaDirect, ten times cheaper than the one used until now, skips the costly step of RNA extraction by using a chemical and thermal process to extract the virus genome and detect or not its presence.
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