Brooklyn-based Mirimus: Saliva testing just as accurate as nasal swab

The molecular biologists at Mirimus say using saliva is more efficient, cheaper, quicker and just as accurate as a nasal swab.

News 12 Staff

Dec 23, 2020, 5:51 PM

Updated 1,447 days ago

Share:

A Brooklyn bio-tech company is reimagining the way we take COVID-19 tests, using saliva instead of a swab.
The molecular biologists at Mirimus say using saliva is more efficient, cheaper, quicker and just as accurate as a nasal swab.
In the test, up to 24 individual samples are all tested together. That pool specimen will now get tested as any individual specimen would. So, if it's negative, now you have a situation where all the samples that were collected and pooled, are negative.
If it's positive, the samples are re-tested one-by-one.
The system is being used by hundreds of schools and universities across the U.S., major corporations and by the NCAA during college basketball season.
President and CEO Prem Premsrirut says saliva has a higher viral load that can be detected earlier. She hopes to make the tests more accessible to the public.
“What we've seen so far is so promising. Bottom line is that you can put a brush fire out before it becomes a forest fire,” says Premsrirut.