Gov. Parson Announces New COVID-19 Test

On Thursday, Governor Parson held a press conference at Washington University to discuss a new saliva-based COVID-19 test that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The test, developed by researchers at Washington University, involves a small funnel used to collect the saliva. The results would be known in a matter of three hours with 94% accuracy. The test would be economical and allow for widespread testing. The new test is considered less invasive than the current nose swab test.

The governor also used the press conference to update on the virus. He mentioned that the newest concern is with the 18-24 year old college students. He said that 30% of the new cases are coming from this age group. Overall, there have been 89,069 COVID-19 cases in Missouri with 1,675 deaths to date.