May viral load detected in saliva in the early stages of infection be a prognostic indicator in COVID-19 patients?

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of viral load detected in the saliva of COVID-19 patients in the early stage of infection.

Study Design: Oro-nasopharyngeal swab and saliva samples were collected from all patients simultaneously in the early stage of COVID-19. Viral loads were determined by extracting viral RNAs from saliva samples of patients whose ONP swabs were positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR.