>>>
>>> SO
>>> SO FAR WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TWO MAIN TYPES OF TESTING FOR
COVID.
COVID.
COVID. THE NASAL SWAB, WHICH LOOKS FOR
ACTIVE INFECTION AND THEN, OF
COURSE, THE ANTIBODY TEST,
WHICH LOOKS FOR PAST
INFECTION.
INFECTION. THE SALIVA TEST MIGHT BE
TESTING TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE
SALIVA TESTING AND ITS
BENEFITS.
BENEFITS.
BENEFITS. I IMAGINE WHEN WE START TALKING
ABOUT THE SALIVA TEST, THE BIG
ADVANTAGE SOUNDS LIKE IT IS A
LOT EASIER THAN THE OTHER TWO?
>> Reporter: YEAH, THAT IS
EXACTLY RIGHT.
EXACTLY RIGHT. I WAS QUITE EXCITED TO HEAR
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. I THINK IT IS A REAL GOOD STEP
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH
THREE MAIN BENEFITS.
THE FIRST, IT'S A LOT LESS
INVASIVE.
INVASIVE.
INVASIVE. THAT ESSENTIALLY MEANS YOU
DON'T REALLY NEED TO GO ALL THE
WAY BACK INTO THE BACK OF YOUR
NOSE TO COLLECT IT.
THE HEALTH CARE WORKERS ARE
EXPOSED TO A LOT LESS RISK AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. WE
WELL. WE NEED PPE TO COLLECT IT.
AND THE SECOND THING IT'S PRONE
TO A LOT LESS USER ERROR.
BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO STICK
THAT Q-TIP BACK TO GET A GOOD
SAMPLE, YOU HAVE TO ESSENTIALLY
SPIT IN A CUP.
IT'S A LOT LESS LIKELY YOU'RE
NOT GOING TO GET A GOOD SAMPLE.
THEN THE LAST, OF COURSE, IS A
LOT FEWER SUPPLIES ARE NEEDED
FOR THIS TEST.
WE'VE SEEN ONE OF THE BIG
CHALLENGES OF I MAKING THE TEST
ACCESSIBLE IS THAT YOU KNOW
SUPPLIES LIKE THE Q-TIP OR
NASAL SWABS ARE PRODUCING A
BOTTLENECK FOR PRODUCTION.
AND ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO DO
IS TO SPIT INTO A CUP, SO YOU
CAN IMAGINE DOWN THE LINE THIS
IS CERTAINLY A TEST THAT COULD
BE GIVEN TO PEOPLE AT HOME, SO
THEY'RE NOT LEAVING THEIR HOME
WHEN THEY'RE SICK VISITING THE
HOSPITAL EXPOSING OTHERS AND
EXPOSING THE HEALTHCARE
WORKERS.
WORKERS.
WORKERS. THEY CAN JUST SPIT IN THAT CUP
AND SEND OFF THE CUP.
>> WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT SO
MANY PRIVATE COMPANIES TRYING
TO DEVELOP PRIVATE TESTING.
IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THESE
TESTS HAVE COME UP SHORT AS FAR
AS THE PERFORMANCE, THE KIND OF
PERFORMANCE THAT WE REALLY WANT
AND NEED.
AND NEED.
AND NEED. HOW IS THE SALIVA TEST AT THIS
POINT COMPARED TO THE NASAL
SWAB COMPARED TO LIABILITY?
>> THAT IS AN IMPORTANT
QUESTION TO ASK BEFORE WE START
HANGING OUR HAT ON THE RESULTS.
SO WE HAVE DATA FROM SALIVA
TESTS.
TESTS.
TESTS. THE FIRST IS THE RUTGERS SALIVA
TEST, WHICH UNDERWENT EMERGENCY
APPROVAL UNDER THE FDA'S
APPROVAL PROTOCOL.
APPROVAL PROTOCOL. AND THAT ONE IS COMPARABLE TO
THE NASAL SWAB.
AND THEN THE SECOND IS THE YALE
UNIVERSITY TEST, WHICH IS NOT
YET UNDERGOING EMERGENCY
APPROVAL, BUT ACTUALLY GIVING
PLEASANT RESULTS.
PLEASANT RESULTS. IT'S NOT ONLY COMPARABLE TO THE
NASAL SWAB, BUT ACTUALLY
PERFORMING BETTER THAN THE
NASAL SWAB.
NASAL SWAB. IT IS MORE SENSITIVE.
SO THERE IS A LESS RISK OF
HAVING A FALSE NEGATIVE.
THERE IS LESS VARIABILITY.
YOU CAN IMAGINE IT'S A LIKELY
DUE TO THE FACT IT'S A LOT
EASIER TO COLLECT AS WE JUST
DISCUSSED.
DISCUSSED. SO YOU ARE LESS LIKELY TO MISS
THOSE ACTIVE VIRAL PARTICLES
WHEN YOU'RE COLLECTING THOSE
SAMPLES.
SAMPLES.
SAMPLES. >> SO NOW IT COMES INTO A
MATTER OF HOW EFFECTIVE IT IS
AND GETTING IT INTO THE HANDS
OF THE PEOPLE.
IS THE SALIVA TEST AS WE MOVE
FORWARD AND THE TESTING
LANDSCAPE FOR COVID-19.
IS THE SALIVA TEST MOVING TO
THE FRONT OF THE LINE?
>> YOU KNOW TOM, I THINK IT
WOULD.
WOULD.
WOULD. THIS COULD BE THE POTENTIAL
GAME CHANGER.
GAME CHANGER. IN AN IDEAL WORLD IF I WAS
DESIGNING A TEST FOR COVID IN
THE ABSENCE OF A VACCINE IT
WOULD BE QUICK, IT WOULD BE
SIMPLE, AND IT WOULD BE
ACCURATE.
ACCURATE.
ACCURATE. INSTEAD OF USING THINGS LIKE
TEMPERATURE SCREENINGS BEFORE
WE GO TO THE SUPERMARKET OR TO
THE MOVIES OR GO OUT TO EAT,
YOU CAN IMAGINE A SALIVA TEST
WHERE YOU SPIT INTO A CUP, GETS
THE ANSWERS WITHIN TEN MINUTES
OF WHETHER THEY ARE ACTIVELY
INFECTIVE OR NOT, AND THEN
COULD SAFELY GO TO DINNER OR TO
THE MOVIES OR TO A RESTAURANT.
WE'RE A WAYS FROM THERE.
IN MY OPINION THIS IS CERTAINLY
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I THINK WE'RE MAKING GOOD
PROGRESS.
PROGRESS.
PROGRESS. BUT I DO WANT TO SEND A WORD OF
CAUTION TO OUR VIEWERS AS MORE
AND MORE TESTS BECOME
AVAILABLE, PARTICULARLY THOSE
AT-HOME TESTS, WE NEED TO BE
CAREFUL NOT TO RUSH TO GET ANY
OLD TEST BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM
ARE NOT PERFORMING AS WELL AS
WE WOULD WANT TO.
WE SHOULD PROBABLY WATCH AND
WAIT AND REALLY DO THE ONES
THAT ARE INDOORS BECAUSE OF
THEIR PERFORMANCE.
THEIR PERFORMANCE. >> WELL SHORT OF A VACCINE,
ACCURATE EFFICIENT TESTING IS
CERTAINLY AS YOU