Reviewed by Clare Marlin, MS, RN, CIC; Brain Innovation Center, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab
Forty-four patients were sampled utilizing a different procedure for confirming severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing by including the use of nasal swabs. The gold standard for testing according to the World Health Organization is the nasopharyngeal swab, as the authors acknowledge. 37 patients tested positive using the nasopharyngeal swab and 7 patients tested negative with the nasopharyngeal swab. 33 patients tested positive using the nasal swab. The authors offered that nasal swabs may be an option during a scarcity in nasopharyngeal swabs.
Reference:
Péré H, et al. Nasal swab sampling for SARS-CoV-2: a convenient alternative in times of nasopharyngeal swab shortage. J Clin Microbiol 58:e00721-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00721-20.