Morning SARS-CoV-2 Testing Yields Better Detection of Infection Due to Higher Viral Loads in Saliva and Nasal Swabs upon Waking
Alexander Viloria Winnett, Michael K. Porter, Anna E. Romano, Emily S. Savela, Reid Akana, Natasha Shelby, Jessica A. Reyes, Noah W. Schlenker, Matthew M. Cooper, Alyssa M. Carter, Jenny Ji, Jacob T. Barlow, Colten Tognazzini, Matthew Feaster, Ying-Ying Goh, Rustem F. Ismagilov
Abstract
Our findings suggest that collecting saliva and nasal swab specimens in the morning immediately after waking yields higher SARS-CoV-2 viral loads than collection later in the day. The higher viral loads from morning specimen collection are predicted to significantly improve detection of SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic individuals, particularly when using moderate- to low-analytical-sensitivity COVID-19 diagnostic tests, such as rapid antigen tests.
Topics & Concepts
SalivaMorningSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Viral loadCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Medicine2019-20 coronavirus outbreakVirologyViral sheddingVirusInternal medicineInfectious disease (medical specialty)OutbreakDiseaseSARS-CoV-2 detection and testingSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchCOVID-19 diagnosis using AI