A combined oropharyngeal/nares swab is a suitable alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs for the detection of SARS-CoV-2
Jason J. LeBlanc, Charles Heinstein, Jimmy MacDonald, Janice Pettipas, Todd F. Hatchette, Glenn Patriquin
Abstract
Given the global shortage of nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs typically used for respiratory virus detection, alternative collection methods were evaluated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study showed that a combined oropharyngeal/nares swab is a suitable alternative to NP swabs for the detection of SARS-CoV-2, with sensitivities of 91.7% and 94.4%, respectively.
Topics & Concepts
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Economic shortage2019-20 coronavirus outbreakPandemicVirologyMedicineInternal medicineInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseaseLinguisticsGovernment (linguistics)OutbreakPhilosophySARS-CoV-2 detection and testingRespiratory viral infections researchCOVID-19 diagnosis using AI