SalivaScan: Connecting Researchers and School Communities for the Evaluation of a New COVID-19 Saliva Test

SalivaScan was a community-driven initiative designed to evaluate a new saliva-based COVID-19 test developed at ITQB NOVA. Conducted in public schools across Oeiras, Lisbon, the project aimed to address the challenge of testing young children under 12 years old, who often found the invasive nasopharyngeal swab tests uncomfortable. Schools were chosen for their inclusivity, and the initiative focused on engaging staff, students, and families to encourage participation and gather valuable feedback.

The study saw the participation of over 4,445 students, with 80 asymptomatic cases identified. The saliva test, based on RT-PCR technology but utilizing a more affordable chemistry, proved to be a non-invasive, cost-effective, and highly accurate alternative to the traditional gold-standard test. Importantly, the test could be performed directly on saliva samples, without the need for pre-processing to extract viral genetic material, which made it particularly suitable for mass screening in community settings. The ease of use and non-invasive nature of the test made it ideal for children, who were just beginning to be vaccinated and were not part of routine testing protocols in schools at the time.

SalivaScan’s implementation began with strong support from the Oeiras City Hall, which oversees health promotion in local schools. After receiving approval from the Ethics Committee, the project team met with school directors to explain the initiative’s goals and logistics. The directors enthusiastically joined the effort and appointed teachers to help coordinate testing. These teachers played a key role in communicating the project’s importance to colleagues, students, and their families.

To facilitate testing, 9,500 saliva collection kits were prepared and distributed across schools. Each kit included an informed consent form and an easy-to-understand flyer that explained the sample collection process. On the designated day, students returned their saliva samples to their schools, where the team ensured compliance with the established testing protocols. The samples were then transported to ITQB NOVA for analysis. Upon identifying positive cases, the team contacted the students’ guardians to confirm results with the gold-standard test and ensured proper reporting to healthcare authorities. Using a similar approach, the saliva test was successfully applied to the ITQB NOVA community showcasing its usefulness across different settings.

SalivaScan’s achievements drew attention from the media, with the team sharing their findings through newspapers, radio, and television. The results were also presented at national and international conferences and published in an open-access journal. In January 2023, the team hosted a public presentation at ITQB NOVA, followed by a community event in Oeiras, where the public was invited to engage in discussions about the project and its implications.

The success of SalivaScan demonstrated the importance of accessible, low-cost testing solutions. By providing a non-invasive and reliable method for detecting COVID-19, the initiative helped break transmission chains within schools and the wider community during a critical phase of the pandemic. As global COVID-19 cases began to decline and the World Health Organization declared the pandemic over in 2023, SalivaScan stood as a key example of how community engagement and innovative testing can play a pivotal role in managing public health crises, offering valuable insights for future pandemic preparedness.