In tests with patients and hospital workers, saliva taken from just inside the mouth gave more accurate and consistent results, compared to the widely-used nasal swabs.
The nasopharyngeal swabbing is uncomfortable, causing some to flinch.
During that time, swabs may not make sufficient contact to collect a sufficient sample.
The saliva swab test is less invasive, and can be taken reliably by patients themselves.
The FDA recently OK'd a self-administered saliva test developed in a biotech startup at Rutgers University Center for Diagnostic Research (RUDCR) Infinite Biologics.