Want to go back to school, or work, or sporting events without fear of being infected? If so, the answer is rapid testing.
We need widespread use of an inexpensive, rapid, home-based saliva test similar to a pregnancy test. While slightly less accurate than PCR testing, it should detect most cases in the contagious phase when decisions regarding work and school attendance can be made that day. This will change the game.
These tests are available now but facing significant red tape in the Food and Drug Administration due to their decreased sensitivity relative to PCR. We should be willing to accept slightly lower sensitivity in favor of real-time, repeated testing in huge numbers.
Request that your local, state, and national leaders appeal to the FDA to clear the path for development of this contagiousness-detecting rapid test.
Murry Mullenax, Salt Lake City