Saliva Testing May Be More Effective Than the Nasal Swab, City Says

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Anyone who’s been tested for COVID-19 via the nasal swab knows it’s not a fun process.

But aside from the discomfort, the City of Fort Worth has found other complications with swab testing — one, in the area of capacity, and two, the fact that a negative test doesn’t necessarily mean anything for symptomatic patients who may not have been shedding enough virus on the swab to test positive at the time.

In its search for alternative testing methods, Fort Worth found that Rutgers University was finding success using saliva. The city also learned that, according to a study led by the Yale School of Public Health, saliva tests are more sensitive to detecting the virus than the swab. 

So, with the help of Rutgers and health care group Vault Health, Fort Worth introduced a saliva testing pilot program in July, administering up to 300 tests per day at J.P. Elder Middle School. The city has since expanded its testing sites to include both the school and Dickies Arena’s Chevrolet Parking Garage. City staff from Police, Fire and Code Compliance departments, along with certified city volunteers for emergency response, have been staffing the sites. 

According to fire chief Jim Davis, saliva tests have a 1% – 2% false negative rate: “We feel that it is even more accurate than some of the other testing that’s available, including the swab testing.” 

Other benefits of saliva tests are that they allow for mass testing, can be self-administered without the help of medical staff, and, of course, are more comfortable. 

Whether it be via swab or saliva, Davis says those being tested shouldn’t be concerned over the accuracy of either. At the same time, anyone experiencing symptoms should take precautions even if they test negative, he says. “If they’re not feeling well, they need to do the things they’ve been asked to do since March — stay away from others and isolate themselves until they’re feeling better.”