Clinical trial shows testing saliva for COVID-19 is as reliable as nasal swab

As the highly transmissible delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 surges in the United States and around the world, rapid and accessible COVID-19 testing and increased vaccination are key to managing the virus' spread. Nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs—long, medical-grade probes used to collect samples from deep in patients' noses and throats—are the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnostic testing. However, memory of shortages of both the specialized NP swabs during the early days of the pandemic as well as pressure on the trained medical personnel needed to perform the tests point to the need for simpler COVID-19 testing.

source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-08-clinical-trial-saliva-covid-reliable.html