Is anyone working on an easier to administer test?

[Rae36]

I've had a test and I didn't enjoy it. I'm now hearing that even if you go to a drive in centre parents will have to test their own kids. We're in Scotland if this is a Scotland specific thing, I don't know. I know we're bound to have to test at least one of them at least once and I'm dreading it.

I wish there was an easier test but I'm no scientist so maybe there just isn't another way.

Are any scientists working on an easier to administer test?

Yes, Yale University have developed a saliva test that has been approved by the FDA, no idea if we'll get it in the UK though.

news.yale.edu/2020/08/15/yales-rapid-covid-19-saliva-test-receives-fda-emergency-use-authorization

I hope so. When I had the test I was so traumatised by it that far up my nose that I burst into tears.

When I had the test I was so traumatised by it that far up my nose that I burst into tears.

Were you already living with trauma?

Yes, there is a big trial of a saliva test just getting underway in Southampton. There has already been a smaller scale one, which I guess had good results for them to be doing the larger one.

I hope so. As someone who has experienced sexual abuse it was traumatising.
I administer the tests and hate doing it. It’s so intrusive.

Fingers crossed they have success with a saliva test then and we manage to hang on a few more weeks before one of our lot need testing. A saliva test sounds so much easier.

Is anyone on here a covid tester ? I can't imagine it is a very pleasant job.

Oh cross post @Yankathebear
I imagine it's not fun.

I can’t see how anyone manages to properly administer it to themselves?

www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/08/abbott-covid-19-rapid-tests-trump/615826/

www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/08/abbott-covid-19-rapid-tests-trump/615826/

Although this is a wonderful piece of kit, I do wonder if Abbott will really produce 50 million a month in October.

Their 15 minute tests were going to revolutionise testing. DD was offered a job building them, starting early June. By early July she still hadn't started work because they hadn't finished getting the production facility ready. Eventually she just went and got a job elsewhere. Another friend's daughter did end up working there but she only started in August.

To build these new tests they need to hire over 1,000 people in Southern Maine alone. People in Southern Maine are not looking for jobs. My 17 year old is being paid $16/hour to babysit. My 15 year old is being paid $15/hour to do weeding. Abbott is offering $12 per hour for 12 hour shifts. They require people to be over 18 and have a driver's licence and pass a drug test to work there. People in that situation have better paid jobs elsewhere. Even people who lost their jobs due to Covid are receiving $550+ per week in unemployment insurance.

I'm a little cynical about these tests actually materialising.

There is a 20 second test thats being tested at Heathrow at the moment. It’s saliva so no swabs up the nose. I think we need speedy testing!

We’ve done it with us and the kids. it isn’t pleasant, but not traumatic at all (except if you are already traumatised).as far as medical tests go, its fairly harmless (we’ve been through tons of tests with our oldest, Covid is quick and easy, especially since parents can do it)

They're working on saliva/sputum home tests in Finland (also sniffer dogs that can smell it, rather like smelling out cancer, but sadly that's for airport screening rather than testing - wouldn't mind getting tested by a cute dog sniffing me!)