Sensitivity of Nasopharyngeal Swabs and Saliva for the Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2

We enrolled 91 consecutive inpatients with COVID-19 at 6 hospitals in Toronto, Canada, and tested 1 nasopharyngeal swab/ saliva sample pair from each patient using real-time RT-PCR for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Sensitivity was 89% for nasopharyngeal swabs and 72% for saliva (P = .02). Difference in sensitivity was greatest for sample pairs collected later in illness.

Automated summary

A study of 91 inpatients with COVID-19 in Toronto, Canada, found that nasopharyngeal swabs had a sensitivity of 89% compared to saliva's 72% sensitivity when tested with real-time RT-PCR. The difference in sensitivity was more pronounced for sample pairs collected later in the course of the illness.