COVID-19: Dry-swabs and spit could help scale testing, and other top science stories of the week

May 1, 2020

An ampule of experimental drug Remdesivir which could help treat patients with COVID-19. Image: REUTERS

Sam Leakey

Programme Specialist, Science and Society, World Economic Forum

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COVID-19

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks during a coronavirus response meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 29, 2020. Image: REUTERS/Carlos Barria

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A medical biologist, wearing a protective suit, holds a nose swab during testing at a drive-through testing site for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a parking lot in front of a laboratory in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris, France, March 24, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

There is a limited supply of nasopharyngeal swabs but scientists are investigating whether saliva samples are equally reliable. Image: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

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