New COVID-19 test funded by NBA, NBPA gets FDA approval

The NBA and NBPA funded the development of a saliva-based COVID-19 test by Yale University, and now there's been a breakthrough in its development. 

According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorization for public use of the test known as SalivaDirect. 

SalivaDirect is designed for widespread public coronavirus screening, and Lowe explains that it'll likely cost consumers between $15-$20. 

Yale, while working with the NBA, used the saliva test together with nasal swab testing, and the results "almost universally matched."

Saliva samples must be sent to the lab for testing, but the future of saliva testing is bright. Lowe continues to say that, ideally, consumers will be able to use a self-saliva test to receive results in minutes instead of hours or days. 

Self-screening will help cut down the spread of the coronavirus.