Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health conducted the SalivaDirect test, which on Saturday received authorization for emergency use from the Food and Drug Administration.
The SalivaDirect rapid detection test for SARS-CoV-2 [the novel coronavirus] is yet another switch to innovation games that will reduce the demand for rigorous resource testing, “said CEO Brett Giroir, the U.S. official responsible for Covid-19 testing.
“We’ve simplified the test so that it only costs a few dollars for reagent, and we expect labs to only pay about $ 10 per sample,” said Nathan Grubaugh, a Yale assistant professor of epidemiology.
“If cheap alternatives like SalivaDirect can be implemented nationwide, we can finally get a grip on this pandemic, even for a vaccine.”
Researchers said the new test could produce results in less than three hours, and the accuracy is consistent with results from traditional nasal swabbing.
The NBA was among the groups that funded research for the test and is currently using the method to test for asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
Testing is declining in many states
While testing in 17 states has declined, test positivity scores have increased in 34 states, according to the Covid Tracking Project. This means that a higher percentage of tests that are performed turn out to be positive.
“Testing has also dropped by about 20% to 30%, so the image is a bit muddy,” he said.
What’s clearer is America’s disruptive trend of 1,000 Covid-19 deaths per day.
By mid-Saturday, the U.S. had suffered more than 1,000 new deaths a day for 16 of the past 20 days, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
Jha said he hopes the death toll will drop.
“But even if it comes to 800 deaths a day, 24,000 Americans die every month,” he said.
Students study back to campuses
Now, colleges are also studying new challenges as they return to classes during a pandemic.
Some universities that re-introduce personal learning use temperature controls, tests, mandatory quarantines or plexiglass dividers to maximize safety.
“Are colleges generally safe to open right now? I probably would not say,” said Dr. James Phillips, a physician and assistant professor at George Washington University Hospital.
Since college students have much more freedom in their daily lives than younger students, “there are so many other variables that go into making it incredibly difficult to keep the virus out of the classroom and out of those living spaces,” Phillips sei.
At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Chancellor Donde Plowman reported 28 active cases – including 20 students and eight staff members. More than 150 people were isolated as quarantined last week, and most were students and staff non-residents.
“Part of what we look for in making decisions about on-campus operations is our ability to isolate and quarantine undergraduate students, and keep up with contact tracing,” Plowman said.
“If you can or do not want this new way of doing things, then you should not be here,” said President Peter M. Donohue. “It’s as simple as that.”
Lauren Mascarenhas, Carma Hassan, Kay Jones and Lauren Mascarenhas of CNN contributed to this report.
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