Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 7, 2021

Performance of Unobserved Self-Collected Nasal Swabs for Detection  of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR Utilizing a Remote Specimen Collection Strategy

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  • A large, retrospective study (N=47,000) comparing unobserved self-collected anterior nasal swabs  and healthcare provider-collected nasopharyngeal swabs found that cycle threshold values for  detection of human RNase P (RP), an indicator of sample adequacy for RT-PCR testing, were not  significantly different. However, cycle thresholds for detection of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly  higher for self-collected than provider-collected swabs, particularly among persons with  asymptomatic infection. These results suggest that patient self-collection can provide adequate  samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing with low risk of false-negative results. 

Kagan et al. (Apr 1, 2021). Performance of Unobserved Self-Collected Nasal Swabs for Detection  of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR Utilizing a Remote Specimen Collection Strategy. Open Forum  Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofab039