Adding saliva testing to oropharyngeal and deep nasal swab testing increases PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 in primary care and children

Abstract

Objective: To compare the concordance and acceptability of saliva testing with standard-of-care oropharyngeal and bilateral deep nasal swab testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in children and in general practice. Design: Prospective multicentre diagnostic validation study. Setting: Royal Children’s Hospital, and two general practices (cohealth, West Melbourne; Cirqit Health, Altona North) in Melbourne, July–October 2020. Participants: 1050 people who provided paired saliva and oropharyngeal-nasal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 testing. Main outcome measures: Numbers of cases in which SARS-CoV-2 was detected in either specimen type by real-time polymerase chain reac..