A Scots university is trialling a new type of coronavirus test which involves patients spitting into a medical cup.
The University of Edinburgh is currently looking into the benefits of ‘hypertube samping’, which could be potentially more accurate than PCR swab tests.
Currently PCR tests are used by NHS Scotland for people who believe that they have symptoms of Covid-19.
It involves patients taking samples from their nose and throat using a swab to check for the virus.
But university bosses are looking into the less invasive style of testing, that could be quicker and cheaper.
PCR tests are proven to be highly accurate, but the samples are sent to labs for individual analysis, which is said to be ‘costly’, according to the university.
The new approach sees the same lab analysis applied to dozens of saliva samples at once while maintain the same accuracy.
All students and staff at the university have been offered twice-weekly testing as part of the TestEd research project.
The project seeks to detect infection before symptoms appear in a bid to minimise the risk of transmission between members of the university community and aid the safe reopening of the campus.
It is hoped that the tests could be rolled out in workplace such as offices, schools and factories which need access to regular tests.
Professor Tim Aitman, TestEd’s chief investigator, said: “The rise in cases caused by the Delta variant and the subsequent pause in the easing of restrictions are a timely reminder that we will be living with this disease for some time.
“Against this backdrop, TestEd addresses three key challenges of Covid-19 testing to keep workplaces safe: it’s ease of use makes it highly acceptable to people, its pooling of samples makes it affordable, and its use of PCR technology maintains high levels of accuracy.
“TestEd is a transformative approach for testing very large numbers for Covid-19 and for keeping organisations and communities safe.”
The latest Scottish Government figures reveal that a further 3,118 new cases of coronavirus were reported over the last 24 hours.
Health officials also recorded one death of people who tested positive for the virus.
