A cheaper and easier COVID-19 test is right on the tip of our tongue as Australian researchers lead the push to introduce saliva testing.

The uncomfortable nasal swabs could soon be a thing of the past, with saliva tests offering a quick, accurate and less invasive alternative.

The University of Queensland’s Dr Pingping Han noted the irony in using the most common form of virus transmission to stop the spread.

“Saliva is a leading way that disease is transmitted… but it can also be incredibly useful to us for diagnosing the virus and monitoring a person’s health,” Dr Han said.

United States health authorities recently approved the first at-home test kit that will allow people to collect their own saliva and send it to a lab to be tested for SARS-CoV-2.

Dr Han has urged policy-makers here to bite the bullet and do the same.

“Saliva is ideal for effective, large-scale pandemic control measures to prevent COVID-19’s spread,” she said.

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