Covid-19: Italy's new rapid saliva test gives result in 3 minutes

09 Sep, 2020

"Daily Tampon" saliva test gives results in just three minutes.

Italy's health ministry has approved a rapid saliva test for covid-19 which provides results in just three minutes, reports Italian news agency ANSA.

The Daily Tampon has been developed by a company in Merate, near Lecco north of Milan, in collaboration with the University of Sannio, and is ready to start production.

How does the test work?

A saliva sample taken with a cotton swab is placed on the Daily Tampon which, similar to a pregnancy test, gives one of two results: two lines positive, one line negative.