Covid-19 coronavirus: Air NZ saliva trial may offer NZ smarter test

Air NZ staff will be tested for Covid-19 using saliva samples, in a three-month study kicking off next week. Saliva-based testing has been increasingly touted as a quick, accurate and less invasive option for those who need regular checks - and if the study is successful it could be rolled out more widely. In the new trial, led by ESR and Air New Zealand, staff members will provide saliva samples alongside their regular nasopharyngeal swabs, so the two can be compared. ESR's chief scientist, Dr Brett Cowan, said there was hope saliva testing would be more comfortable than current methods. "This study will go a long way to determine how saliva testing might fit, or not fit alongside nasal swab testing, within New Zealand's unique context where we must detect and track every case," he said. "Every time our testing regime is adjusted, it needs to be based on rigorous, evidence-based science to ensure our communities have the best protection. If saliva testing is to be incorporated into our testing regime, it needs to undergo that same scrutiny for us to have confidence in its ability to detect Covid-19."<br/>