Coronavirus Saliva Test Coming To Freehold

FREEHOLD, NJ — The saliva test for the coronavirus will be available in Freehold starting next week, the VNA of Central Jersey announced Thursday.

The test, developed by Rutgers University, will be available at the VNA of Central Jersey Community Health Center in Freehold.

"Saliva tests are less intrusive than the deep nasal swab that have been widely used since the coronavirus pandemic broke out," said Christopher Rinn, CEO of VNACJ Community Health Center Inc. "They are safer for health care workers administering the procedure and they require less personal protective equipment than the deep nasal swab. The saliva is simply collected in a tube with an RNA preservative solution."

There have been 5,980 Monmouth County residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to Monmouth County officials. There have been 317 Monmouth residents who have died from complications of the virus as of Wednesday, state officials said.

Freehold Township has the most cases in the county, with 526, and Freehold Borough has 280. Nearby, Howell has 491, Farmingdale has 13, Colts Neck has 63, Marlboro has 376 and Manalapan has 410 through Wednesday's figures released by the county.

The testing will be available to those who may have been exposed to the coronavirus and are experiencing symptoms, the VNA announcement said.

"As testing expands across the state, it is vital that we prioritize vulnerable populations such as those served by New Jersey’s federally qualified health centers," New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith M. Persichilli said.

"The continued expansion and repeat testing using a saliva-based approach in the community will have a tremendous impact on making sure New Jersey is prepared to resume normal day activities," said Dr. Andrew Brooks, professor of genetics at Rutgers.

"We are thrilled to provide this important service to our patients throughout Monmouth County and to support Governor Murphy’s efforts to make testing more available so that we can reopen our New Jersey businesses and public spaces," Rinn said. "We are proud that VNACJ is the first federally qualified health center in New Jersey, if not the nation, to provide these tests and we are grateful to our partners RUCD Rand Accurate Diagnostic Labs for their support of the communities we serve."

Patients who are experiencing symptoms or fear they have been exposed to the coronavirus should schedule an appointment by calling the Health Center at 732-294-2540 or contact the team through their website at vnachc.org/contact-us/

For more information about the new Freehold Family Health Center, 597 Park Ave. in Freehold, visit freeholdfamilyhealthcenter.org or call 732-294-2540.

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