Covid-19: Saliva testing to be allowed, alongside ‘gold standard’ nasal swabs, for frontline border workers

Saliva testing is now available to over 1400 of New Zealand’s border workers as the Government expands the less-invasive test into its regime at key frontline facilities, TVNZ reports. According to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins, the saliva test will be used in combination with the nasopharyngeal swab which Hipkins considers as “the gold standard for testing.” Health officials will monitor the progress of the saliva testing programme, and workers will be able to choose to continue doing a weekly nasal swab.