Latest Trustworthy News from Dr. Mercola - delivered straight to your inbox!

Self-Collected Saliva and Deep Nasal Swabs Equally Effective in Diagnosing COVID-19

coronavirus 

Scientists have discovered that self-collected saliva and deep nasal swabs collected by health care providers are equally effective for detecting COVID-19, and it is hoped that self-collected saliva testing will soon become available to hospitals and health care systems nationwide.

The collection process for saliva and anterior nasal specimens is less invasive than the deep nasal, or nasopharyngeal, swab and both specimen types can be self-collected, reducing the risk of exposure for health care workers who collect nasopharyngeal specimens.

Newswise August 20, 2020