Covid delays: up to 10-week wait on saliva tests

A report recommended eight months ago that “all efforts should be made to introduce saliva testing as soon as possible".

Pattrick Smellie

Thu, 27 May 2021

The government is giving conflicting advice about when saliva testing of border workers will begin, telling journalists it will start next month and district health boards it may not begin until August. A six-to-10 week delay before saliva testing starts was contained in an email sent on Tuesday by Darryl Carpenter, the health ministry’s group manager for covid-19 testing and supply, to district health boards. However, Chris Hipkins, the health minister and the director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, told yesterday’...

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