GoofGoof
Premium Member
Rutgers had a saliva test they developed too. I’m not sure why more federal dollars aren’t being pumped into research and development for this type of testing. It’s not all about a vaccine. There’s so much more we should be trying to do. Things like cruises and theme parks and colleges are places where you have a captive audience that could be tested regularly (daily) to ensure positive people are removed and isolated.In the "good news" department, SalivaDirect (terrible name, BTW) has received FDA Approval. This is the test developed by Yale and being used by the NBA.
It uses saliva, not a brain touching nasal swab
It doesn't require specialized kits, or lab equipment to process the tests (things that run into supply chain issues)
It costs $4 vs $100 per test for materials, so with labor maybe $10 per test.
Which means places like care facilities, prisons, factories, schools, dorms could test people every day for a period of time to quickly identify a majority of COVID positive individuals. Accuracy is on the lower side, 88-94%, which is why multiple tests over a period of time would be necessary, but several "cheap" tests are more affordable than what the option is now. This type of test still probably won't "catch everyone" but it would give contact tracing a place to start and the ability to be more effective, which isn't happening now do to the terrible lag in receiving results.