COVID-19 Air Monitoring

FAQs

• How does COVID air monitoring compare with saliva surveillance testing?

  Both COVID air monitoring and COVID saliva surveillance are forms of surveillance testing. Surveillance testing looks for infection within a group of people on a routine basis to inform health management decisions. For example when surveillance indicates infection within a group, individual diagnostic testing can be performed to identify and isolate the infected.

  With saliva surveillance, individual saliva specimens are collected from the individuals being monitored and analyzed. With air monitoring, people are passively monitored by testing indoor environments for the presence of viral particles in the air.

  Saliva surveillance is a more sensitive form of surveillance testing, but can be difficult to employ in practice:

  • Collecting samples requires the ongoing cooperation of participants, and people who forget to provide samples must be tracked down

  • Testing can be logistically difficult and costly, given the high number of samples involved

  COVID air monitoring provides a simpler way to monitor people without their active participation, and can be more affordable for large groups.

• Can this assay detect Omicron, Delta, and other variants of SARS-CoV-2?

  Yes, as of January 7, 2022, we’ve performed BLAST analysis of 2,353,012 available whole genome sequences (including 158,043 Omicron sequences), and the assay’s ability to detect all current WHO variants of concern, including Delta and Omicron, is unaffected.

  The SARS-CoV-2 virus is constantly mutating as it spreads globally. We monitor sequences published to scientific databases such as GISAID on a regular basis and will update this FAQ as appropriate.

• What is the difference between surveillance and diagnostic testing?

  Diagnostic testing looks for occurrence of COVID-19 at the individual level when there is a reason to believe an individual may be infected. Surveillance testing looks for infection within a population or community, and can be used for making health management decisions at the population level^{1US Food & Drug Administration. FAQs on Testing for SARS-CoV-2. FDA. 2020 Sept 24 [Cited 2020, September 25].}.

  For example, if routine COVID-19 surveillance reveals the presence of infection in a workplace population, management might refer individuals for diagnostic testing^{1Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. University Lab Testing. CMS. 2020 Aug 28 [Cited 2020 Dec 21].} to determine who is infected, and could even elect to close a facility pending diagnostic test results to prevent further spread.

• Can this kit be used for diagnostic testing?

  No. Chai’s COVID-19 Air Monitoring Test Kit is marketed for surveillance and research use only. It is not for use in diagnostic procedures. As collective air samples are tested, it is not possible to attribute detection events to individual people.

  For diagnostic testing, see our COVID-19 Saliva Dx Test Kit.