Saliva test for COVID outperforms commercial swab tests: Study

The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, noted that the DRUL test offers several advantages. It is safe -- a test that could be taken at home and sent to the lab in a transport medium that kills virus on contact. It is efficient.

New York: Saliva test to detect Covid-19 performs better than the nasal and oral swab tests authorised by the US Food and Drug administration (FDA), according to a study.

The study by Rockefeller University conducted a direct head-to-head comparison of 162 individuals who received both the "DRUL" saliva test and a conventional swab test. DRUL caught all of the cases that the swabs identified as positive -- plus four positive cases that the swabs missed entirely.

"This research confirms that the test we developed is sensitive and safe," said Robert B. Darnell, Professor and head of the Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology.