In the fight against COVID-19, the main technique used to collect samples is a deep nasal swab, a procedure doctors describe as moderately uncomfortable but some patients describe as “being stabbed in the brain.”

Testing methods that are more comfortable and more easily administered would certainly be appreciated by patients and physicians alike, and researchers have explored saliva testing as an alternative, with some promising results. However, according to Edward Orton, Jr., Chair in Ceramic Engineering Pelagia-Iren (Perena) Gouma at The Ohio State University, breathalyzers may be an even easier and readily accessible way to administer tests.