AND IT’S LIVE: our latest pre-print, on the use of saliva as a diagnostic sample for #SARSCoV2 testing, from the massive team effort on Yale’s #COVID19 response @YaleSPH @YaleEMD @YaleMed @VirusesImmunity @YaleGH @Yale @YNHH http://disq.us/t/3o287u4 

While saliva has shown promise for SARS-CoV-2 detection, very few studies have directly compared it to the current gold standard, nasopharyngeal (NP) swab. So, we compared NP and saliva samples from COVID-19 patients and self-collected samples from asymptomatic healthcare workers

COVID-19 patients: SARS-CoV-2 detection from saliva is comparable to (or better than!) NP swabs and more consistent over time (a. since symptom onset; b. by sampling moment = variability between collections). Our results highlight the potential for false-negativity from NP swabs.

Plus, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 from the saliva of two asymptomatic healthcare workers (...and counting!) who tested negative from their NP swabs suggests that saliva could be a viable alternative for identifying mild or subclinical infections.

With further validation, widespread use of saliva sampling could be transformative for public health efforts: saliva self-collection circumvents direct healthcare worker-patient interaction, reducing overall risk of infection in hospitals and supply demands on swab kits and PPE.

The takeaway: saliva should be considered as a viable alternative for SARS-CoV-2 detection. To meet growing testing demands, our findings support the need for immediate validation and implementation of saliva sampling for #SARSCoV2 diagnostics http://disq.us/t/3o287u4 

A massive shout out to everyone involved in this effort, including: @NathanGrubaugh @arnaucasanovas @maria_tokuyama @AJMooreHealth @VogelsChantal @MaryPetrone10 @IsabelOtt @ChaneyKalinich @peowenlu @sneakyvirus1 @arvieil @RebeccaEarnest1 @SaadOmer3 @ShelFarFar @DelaCruzYaleMed