The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on Tuesday approved the use of saliva in PCR tests to check for infection with the new coronavirus, and notified prefectures of its decision. Patients within nine days of the onset of symptoms are eligible.
The polymerase chain reaction tests using saliva are also now covered by public medical insurance. A patient is only required to spit into a collection container, which is simpler than conventional PCR test methods and reduces the risk of spreading the virus in the surrounding area.
The PCR test is performed on patients who are suspected of being infected based on symptoms such as fever or a history of contact with an infected person.
The specimens so far have been mainly mucus from deep inside the nose. If a patient coughs or sneezes when a health care worker inserts a long swab to collect it, the infection could spread. Medical personnel wear protective equipment such as high-function masks for medical use, but during "the first wave" of the spread of infection, there was a shortage. The risk to health care workers was one of the factors that slowed down the process of conducting the tests.
On the other hand, the method using saliva can be handled with a regular medical mask. There have been multiple studies showing its efficacy. In the United States, the emergency use of saliva testing has been approved. In Japan, a research group of the ministry compared the accuracy of nasal mucus and saliva samples, and found that there was little difference in results within nine days of the onset of symptoms.
In light of the results, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases on Tuesday revised its manual for collecting specimens and added a method for using saliva. It cannot be used in people who are not showing symptoms. There is a possibility that the test will spread to general clinics.
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato said at a press conference, "The burden on patients and the burden of preventing infection during sampling will be greatly reduced."
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