USC to resume saliva COVID-19 testing Tuesday, but capacity is limited

The University of South Carolina plans to resume saliva coronavirus testing Tuesday, albeit with less capacity than before.

USC announced Thursday it was pausing saliva testing on campus because a “key lab staffer” became sick. Before that person became sick, USC was able to process 1,200 saliva tests in a day and return the results within 24 hours.

When testing resumes Tuesday, USC will be able to test roughly 200 students, which is one-sixth of the original capacity.

USC President Robert Caslen said last week testing wouldn’t likely resume at full capacity. USC is borrowing staff from Nephron Pharmaceuticals and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to process tests.

Last week, College of Pharmacy Dean Stephen Cutler referred to saliva testing, in part developed by USC’s College of Pharmacy, as a “game changer” because it can return test results quickly, affordably and with the same accuracy as a COVID-19 nasal swab test, Cutler said.

As of Friday, USC has 1,461 active coronavirus cases on campus, according to its online dashboard. Students comprise 99% of those cases.

USC expects to release new numbers for coronavirus cases on campus Tuesday. However, it’s unclear to what extent the paused saliva testing last week will impact the results.