Britain announced Monday that more than 14,000 people in Southampton will participate in a weekly trial of a "no-swab" saliva test for COVID-19. "Saliva testing could potentially make it even easier for people to take coronavirus tests at home, without having to use swabs," Health Secretary Matt Hancock explained. "This trial will also help us learn if routine, at-home testing could pick up cases of the virus earlier."
The trial will be run by the National Health Service, the Southampton City Council, and the University of Southampton, involving doctors and health workers, university staff, essential workers, and their households. Unlike the swab-based tests, which are uncomfortable and require special swabs, the Optigene test initially used in this trial requires only that people spit into a pot, Reuters reports. Results are expected to be handed back within 48 hours.
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