U.S. FDA approves COVID-19 Saliva Test

The United States of America’s Food and Drug Administration, FDA has authorized the emergency use of a saliva test for COVID-19, opening door to wider testing. According to the report, the test will offer a less-invasive alternative to the current standard of nasal swabs for Covid-19 testing.

It was also reported that the test doesn’t rely on the kinds of chemical reagents that have led to shortages, and samples can be processed in less than three hours.

Meanwhile, Yale plans to make the protocol behind the new test available to other labs across the country and is suggesting that the test be offered at $10 per sample, which would also make it relatively inexpensive. Making the test more widely available could be a game-changer, as testing delays have plagued the U.S. response to the Covid-19 pandemic.