So this is from the Guardian live blog and I can't find much else about it but sounds like an interesting approach. If it works then it would mean cheap tests done in seconds.
Sounds a bit too good to be true to be honest - if anyone has any other sources which outline the details of the process a bit more I'd be interested to read them.
A newly developed saliva test aims to determine in less than a second whether or not people are infected with Covid-19, Israel’s largest medical centre said.
Patients rinse their mouth with a saline wash and spit into a vial. This is then examined by a small spectral device that, in simple terms, shines light on the specimen and analyses the reaction to see if it is consistent with Covid-19. With machine learning, the system will become more accurate over time.
Prof Eli Schwartz of the Center for Geographic Medicine and Tropical Diseases at Sheba Medical Center, who is leading the trial, said it was easier to use than PCR swabs commonly used to detect Covid-19.
“So far we have very promising results in this new method which will be much more convenient and much cheaper,” he said.
The centre said in an initial clinical trial involving hundreds of patients, the new artificial intelligence-based device identified evidence of the virus in the body at a 95% success rate.
Prof Amos Panet, an expert in molecular virology at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, said he would like to see more data and comparisons with existing tests before making a final judgment.
The amount of virus present in saliva increases as patients get sicker, he said, and a big challenge is to detect in “people who are borderline”.
“It will be a game changer only if we see validation of this technology against the current technology,” he said.
Sheba, located just outside Tel Aviv, has partnered with the device’s developer, the Israeli firm Newsight Imaging, to bring the system to market.
The company said they were in the process of getting regulatory approval. Each test costs less than $0.25 (£0.19) and it expects the device will eventually cost less than $200.
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