MONTREAL —
A simple saliva test could reveal whether or not a person is a carrier of the COVID-19 virus, according to two researchers at Yale University.

The researchers have detected the presence of the virus in the saliva of people who are not only asymptomatic, but who had been tested through the usual screening process and received negative results. 

The usual screening test involves the use of a long cotton swab, which is swiped in the back of the patient’s nose and throat. 

Drawbacks to the cotton-swab tests include the fact that they’re occasionally only available in limited quantities, and they tend to cause sneezing or coughing in the patient, which can spread the virus into the air.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2020.