August 20, 2020 – The University of Illinois has received emergency-use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to run a saliva-based COVID-19 test which makes results available in three to six hours. Dr. Martin Burke, a chemistry professor who had a part in designing the test, says the increased speed of the results could be used to lessen the spread of the coronavirus. Burke said the university performed more than 50,000 tests on staff, faculty and students in July. The tests also have a lower price point than a typical test, with a cost of around 10 dollars. The university has developed a three-pronged system called SHIELD, which incorporates testing and uses data reporting, modeling and a smartphone app. Dr. Burke expects to test up to 20,000 people per day when the fall semester starts on August 24.
