SHU Moves to Saliva Testing for COVID-19
Testing results will be quicker with new process
Sacred Heart University is working with Yale to begin saliva-based COVID-19 testing beginning this week. The testing method, called SalivaDirectTM, was developed by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH). It was granted an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after clinical validation performed in collaboration between YSPH, Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale Pathology Labs (YPL). SalivaDirectTM was further validated for SARS-CoV-2 detection by testing nearly 4,000 samples from players, staff, and contractors from the National Basketball Association.
YPL is the first to offer SalivaDirectTM to the public, and Sacred Heart is among the first educational institutions to implement SalivaDirectTM testing. “SalivaDirectTM is less invasive and less expensive than nasal swab-testing, and the results are available more quickly,” said Stephanie Weirsman, physician liaison for YPL. “Yale Pathology’s mission is dedicated to advancing clinical care, and YPL’s Outreach Program is committed to bringing these standards of excellence to local communities and beyond,” says Angelique W. Levi, M.D., YPL Outreach director and associate professor of pathology. “This partnership is a natural fit as it supports YPL’s core values—it strengthens ties to our local communities, engages with educational institutions, promotes health and wellness through innovative diagnostics and increases testing capacity and access to the public.”
“As we ramp up our testing program, SalivaDirectTM offers a great solution to allow us to dramatically increase the number of tests we do weekly on students, faculty and staff,” said Gary MacNamara, executive director of public safety and governmental affairs and cochair of the coronavirus planning team at Sacred Heart. “We are excited to offer a less invasive test and, at the same time, have results more quickly. That is a critical component to containing any spread of the virus.”