Performance of at-home self-collected saliva and nasal-oropharyngeal swabs in the surveillance of COVID-19.
Background: SARS-CoV-2 quickly spreads in the worldwide population, imposing social restrictions to control the infection, being the massive testing another essential strategy to break the chain of transmission. Aim: To compare the performance of at-home self-collected samples - saliva and combined nasal-oropharyngeal swabs (NOP) - for SARS-CoV-2 detection in a telemedicine platform for COVID-19 surveillance. Material and methods: We analyzed 201 patients who met the criteria of suspected COVID-19. NOP sampling was combined (nostrils and oropharynx) and saliva collected using a cotton pad device. Detection of SARS-COV-2 was performed by using the Altona RealStar® SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR Kit 1.0.  Results: There was an overall significant agreement (κ coefficient value of 0.58) between saliva and NOP. Considering results in either sample, 70 patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 were identified, with 52/70 being positive in NOP and 55/70 in saliva. This corresponds to sensitivities of 74.2% (95% CI; 63.7% to 83.1%) for NOP and 78.6% (95% CI; 67.6% to 86.6%) for saliva. Conclusion: Our data show the feasibility of using at-home self-collected samples (especially saliva), as an adequate alternative for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This new approach of testing can be useful to develop strategies for COVID-19 surveillance and for guiding public health decisions.
['Braz-Silva|Paulo H|PH|https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1842-9521', 'Mamana|Ana C|AC|', 'Romano|Camila M|CM|', 'Felix|Alvina C|AC|', 'de Paula|Anderson V|AV|', 'Fereira|Noeli E|NE|', 'Buss|Lewis F|LF|', 'Tozetto-Mendoza|Tania R|TR|https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5659-1052', 'Caixeta|Rafael A V|RAV|', 'Leal|Fabio E|FE|', 'Grespan|Regina M Z|RMZ|', 'Bizário|João C S|JCS|', 'Ferraz|Andrea B C|ABC|', 'Sapkota|Dipak|D|', 'Giannecchini|Simone|S|', 'To|Kelvin K|KK|https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1921-5824', 'Doglio|Alain|A|', 'Mendes-Correa|Maria C|MC|']
Saliva telemedicine PCR coronavirus infection control primary health care