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As part of any plan to lift or ease the confinement restrictions that are in place in many different countries, there is an urgent need to increase the capacity of laboratory testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Detection of the viral genome through reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is the gold standard for this virus; however, the high demand of the materials and reagents needed to sample individuals, purify the viral RNA, and perform the RT-qPCR has resulted in a worldwide shortage of several of these supplies. Here, we show that directly lysed saliva samples can serve as a suitable source for viral RNA detection that is less expensive and can be as efficient as the classical protocol, which involves column purification of the viral RNA. In addition, it bypasses the need for swab sampling, decreases the risk of the health care personnel involved in the testing process, and accelerates the diagnostic procedure.

As part of any plan to lift or ease the confinement restrictions that are in place in many different countries, there is an urgent need to increase the capacity of laboratory testing for SARS CoV-2. Detection of the viral genome through RT-qPCR is the golden standard for this test, however, the high demand of the materials and reagents needed to sample individuals, purify the viral RNA, and perform the RT-qPCR test has resulted in a worldwide shortage of several of these supplies. Here, we show that directly lysed saliva samples can serve as a suitable source for viral RNA detection that is cheaper and can be as efficient as the classical protocol that involves column purification of the viral RNA. In addition, it surpasses the need for swab sampling, decreases the risk of the healthcare personnel involved in this process, and accelerates the diagnostic procedure.