Two new technologies being deployed in New Jersey as part of the fight against the coronavirus could boost those testing numbers enormously if they can perform. One comes out of a Rutgers University research center that uses a laboratory technique to make millions of copies of the COVID-19 nucleic acid. It can perform 10,000 tests a day using high-throughput, automated equipment. But instead of using nasal and throat swabs to obtain viral material, the analysis can be performed on saliva samples obtained by spitting into a tube — a far easier way to collect samples without relying on health care workers. Saliva testing would be a new development and would allow testing without the need of a medical provider to take the sample. RUCDR has also submitted an emergency use authorization request for a saliva collection method that will allow for broader population screening. Another is a test developed by Abbott Laboratories that its makers say can detect the COVID-19 virus in as little as five minutes.
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