Air New Zealand enters partnership with ESR for saliva coronavirus testing

Air New Zealand and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) partnered (18-Jan-2021) to study the effectiveness of saliva testing in detecting coronavirus. The purpose of the study is to see if a saliva sample is an accurate, easy and acceptable method of detecting coronavirus compared to the nasopharyngeal swab test. The study has recently been approved by New Zealand's Ministry of Health National Health and Disability Ethics Committee. Air New Zealand chief medical officer Ben Johnston said the airline is keen to investigate how to make the testing process as simple, easy and comfortable as possible for its crew, pilots and airport staff who are tested on a regular basis. The study will run over two to three months and will take place alongside the existing nasopharyngeal swab. ESR will compare the accuracy of both the saliva and regular nasopharyngeal in their laboratories. [more - original PR]