Rutgers University researchers have received U.S. government clearance for the first saliva test to help diagnose COVID-19, a new approach that could help expand testing options and reduce risks of infection for health care workers.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the test under its emergency powers to quickly clear new tests and therapies to fight the outbreak, the New Jersey university said Monday.
The test initially will be available through hospitals and clinics affiliated with the school. The announcement comes as communities across the U.S.
continue to struggle with testing to help track and contain the coronavirus. The current approach to screening for COVID-19 requires health care workers to take a swab from a patient’s