Comparative analysis of the naso/oropharyngeal swab and oral bio-fluid (whole saliva) samples for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 using RT-qPCR.

Context: The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and was declared a pandemic disease by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020. The nasopharyngeal and the oropharyngeal swabs are being taken during the screening procedure. However, the virus is also present in the oral bio-fluid and hence it could be a potential tool for screening COVID-19 cases.