Illinois Virus Saliva Test May Be ‘Game Changing,’ Pritzker Says
University Covid-19 Saliva Test Could Be Gamechanger: Pritzker
(Bloomberg) -- A University of Illinois test that uses saliva to detect the coronavirus is showing promise and could help the state curb the pandemic as cases spike to the highest since May, Governor J.B. Pritzker said on Wednesday.
The optimism comes after Yale University received an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week for its coronavirus saliva test, which is used by the National Basketball Association. Piggybacking on that, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a bridge study, comparing its test with Yale’s, said Martin Burke, a professor who oversaw the study. The results showed that Illinois’s test was even more sensitive, allowing it to operate under the umbrella of the FDA’s approval, and the university plans to seek independent approval, Burke said.
“If ongoing research continues to yield positive results, this has potentially game changing implications,” Pritzker told reporters during a press conference Wednesday.
The announcement comes the same day that Illinois reported 2,295 new coronavirus cases, the highest since May 24, and 25 virus deaths amid a record 50,299 tests. While the state’s overall seven-day rolling positivity rate is at 4.4%, the Metro East region near St. Louis has spiked to 9.4%.
Many of Illinois’s other regions are also seeing cases rise. Cheaper and faster tests that require less raw materials such as the one the University of Illinois has developed can help slow the spread of the pandemic, Pritzker said. The University of Illinois test costs about $10.
Testing bottlenecks and shortages of items from reagents and swabs have been among the challenges for Illinois and other states and municipalities grappling with the spread of the virus. The state is working with the university to expand the use of the test to other college campuses as well as potentially K-12 schools, long-term care facilities and other public and private institutions, Pritzker said.
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