Tired of the nasal swab COVID-19 test?
There’s a new testing option rolling out in Santa Clara County.
The new test collects a saliva sample in a test tube, but it’s not exactly a spit test.
"We prefer to collect drooling," said Dr. Jennifer Tong with Santa Clara County’s hospital system. "So, it’s more just drooling than saliva. There’s a funnel on top of a test tube that helps you collect the drool down into the tube."
It’s not the prettiest picture, but the new test comes with a big advantage: unlike the nasal swabs, this is a do-it-yourself project.
"Because people take the kit to their car to collect their own saliva, they don’t have to stand one-on-one with an observer to walk them through the process to swab their nose and observe them doing it," Tong told KCBS Radio.
The test, which should be more comfortable for the test taker, is also less labor intensive for the county. That means the switch would free up staff who will now be able to help out with the critically important COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Two county-run testing sites have already switched to the new method: Emmanuel Baptist Church in East San Jose and the South County Annex in Gilroy.
