ICMR study says gargled water can be used for COVID-19 sample collection

A new study published by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that gargled water can be used as a feasible alternative to collect samples for the testing of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 instead of swabs. With two primary objectives being identifying the receptiveness of people and assess the effectiveness of both available methods, the researchers at ICMR conducted a cross-sectional study at AIIMS hospital in Delhi from May to June on at least 50 COVID-19 patients. 

The study noted that it still remains unclear if the risk of aerosol generation, which leads to coughing and sneezing, is higher or less than swab collection. However, preliminary results have shown that the gargle lavage can be used to collect samples for the testing of the novel coronavirus. 

"To minimize the risk of transmission due to aerosols and to maximize the benefits of this method of collection, it would be best to employ it for home collection. Furthermore, it cannot be used in patients who are critically ill as well as in young children/patients who may not be able to follow instructions/perform gargle," it said.

The study added, “Preliminary results of the study show that the gargle lavage may be a viable alternative to swabs for sample collection for the detection of SARS-CoV-2”.

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How will it enhance COVID-19 testing?

According to the ICMR research, the adoption of gargle lavage method can have a huge impact on the COVID-19 testing of the nation because it is easy, can be self-collected and later submitted to health professions. This would further lead to the freeing of professionals from testing to move on to other essential tasks in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the gargle lavage method would even be cheaper as compared to swab collection. 

The study concluded after collecting at least 50 samples of coronavirus positive patients that the gargle lavage method showed promising results irrespective of the symptoms and duration of the illness. Moreover, while 72 per cent of patients reported moderate to severe discomfort in swab collection, only 24 per cent voiced mild discomfort in gargle collection.

The study elaborated, “Adoption of gargle lavage for sample collection will have a significant impact as it will enable easy self-collection, relieve healthcare workers and also lead to substantial cost savings by reducing the need for swabs and personal protective equipment”.

“The cycle threshold (C ) values for gargle samples were slightly higher but comparable to those of swabs. The majority (72%) of the patients reported moderate to severe discomfort with swab collection in comparison to 24 per cent reporting only mild discomfort with gargle collection," it added.

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Inputs: ANI/ Image: Representative/Unsplash