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Saliva Testing Program
The Saliva Testing Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) offers saliva test kits, also known as Spit-kits, to symptomatic students and staff to test for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 in select schools across the Toronto Area.
The program began in September 2020 to test to COVID-19 in Toronto schools. For the 2024–25 school year, the program will expand to include testing for influenza and RSV, in addition to COVID-19.
Symptoms of influenza, RSV and COVID-19 include:
Fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath/wheezing, decreased/loss of taste or smell, runny nose/nasal congestion, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches/joint pains, vomiting/diarrhea.
If you are experiencing symptoms, follow Ontario Public Health guidance and school policies on whether you should stay home or not.
For Toronto schools, review Toronto Public Health's information on these viruses, and how to reduce respiratory virus spread. If you are experiencing symptoms, refer to Toronto Public Health’s self-assessment tool and your school’s policies and follow guidance provided. For COVID-19 specific guidance, refer to Toronto Public Health’s page on COVID-19.
Program step 1: Pick up a Spit-kit
Pick up a Spit-kit at your school’s designated Saliva Kit Pick-up station. If you are symptomatic and at home, you can ask someone to come to the school and pick up a Spit-kit for you.
Your Spit-kit should contain:
- Saliva collection container and funnel
- A plastic bag to store the specimen in (biohazard bag)
- A label to complete and stick on to the saliva collection container
- A requisition form to be filled out
- Instructions on how to collect and label the saliva sample
- Instructions on how to access results
Program step 2: Complete the test
Review the Saliva Collection Instructions (PDF).
Watch the videos on:
- How to collect your saliva sample
- How to fill out your clinical label and laboratory requisition form
Remember to fill out the requisition form accurately and include it with your sample.
- Avoid eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking, or vaping 30 minutes before sample collection.
- Spit to the red line on the collection container (1 to 2 ml), bubbles do not count.
- Cap with blue lid. Once sealed, gently shake three to five times.
- Legal first/last name and date of birth must match health card, label sticker, and requisition form.
- Label must be stuck on to saliva container.
- Fill in the laboratory requisition form completely. The form must be filled in completely for the sample to be processed.
- Place sample and lab form in biohazard bag and seal tightly.
- Keep sample in fridge until drop off.
Program step 3: Drop off your sample
Completed Spit-Kits can be dropped off inside the cooler at your schools designated Saliva Kit Drop-off station. For next-day results, drop off your sample before the courier comes to your school (you can confirm courier timing with your school lead).
Samples are collected Monday through Friday (excluding holidays) and delivered to SickKids for testing.
Program step 4: Retrieve your results
All results will be available on MyChart within 24 to 48 hours after sample drop-off.
If you don’t have a MyChart account, you can create an account for free. You will need an Ontario Health Card Number to create an account, if you don’t have an Ontario Health Card Number, please contact school.salivatesting@sickkids.ca for results.
Sometimes tests are unable to be processed due to not enough saliva in container or a label requisition form not being filled out correctly. If your test was unable to be processed, you will receive a call from a SickKids provider.
- You will receive a call from a SickKids provider. If the SickKids clinical team is unable to connect with you, an email will be sent to the email supplied on your requisition to notify you the results are available on MyChart.
- SickKids will not notify your school.
- You will have the option to participate in research if you are interested.
You will not receive a phone call.
Video: How to fill out your clinical label and laboratory requisition form
Please note these instructions are for clinical samples in the SickKids Saliva Testing Program. For information about research sample labels and requisitions, please read the ‘Saliva Collection Instructions’ handout included in your research kit, as well as the ‘SickKids Saliva Testing Research’ section below.
SickKids Saliva Testing Research
Viral respiratory infections commonly affect children and can lead to serious health issues in some children. Understanding how influenza, RSV and COVID-19 respiratory infections spread among children may help public health and health-care workers during outbreaks and future pandemics.
During the 2024–25 school year, SickKids is working with Public Health to better understand:
- How the amount of virus changes over the course of infection
- How the infections spread in households, and
- How infections spread in classrooms and how often children have these infections even when they don’t feel sick.
Who can participate
- Individuals who test positive for influenza, RSV and COVID-19 have the option to do a daily saliva test for 10 days.
- Individuals who test positive for influenza, RSV and COVID-19 have the option to have their households complete a one-time saliva test.
- Classrooms may receive research kits. If your child’s class is given a research kit, they have the option to complete a one-time saliva test.
All research is voluntary, and you don’t have to participate if you don’t want to. All research samples are anonymous and all personal information is removed. You can choose whether you would like the results of your sample. Doing a clinical test does not require you to participate in research.
My child received a research Spit-kit from school
Your child received a Spit-kit because their class was chosen for testing.
Classes will be chosen throughout the school year so that we can see how often children have these infections even when they don’t have symptoms.
Your child is being asked to provide a one-time saliva sample. All participation is voluntary, and you and your child can decide whether to return the sample. The sample will be tested later for influenza, RSV and COVID-19 infections. No human genetic testing is done on the specimen.
You and your child have the option of whether you would like to know the results of the research sample.
What to do
- You and your child can decide whether you would like to submit a research sample.
- We ask you to please return the unused kit to the ‘Unused Saliva Kit’ bin in your child’s classroom if you decide not to participate.
- If you would like to participate, learn how to collect your sample.
- If you would like to submit a research sample, you and your child can decide if you would like to know the results of the research sample.
- Results are not shared with the school, public health, or with your doctor. The results are yours to decide whether you want to receive and/or share them.
- Results will take longer than standard processing times.
- Review the Research Saliva Collection Instructions – Classroom (PDF). Complete the saliva test. Fill in the label and requisition form included based on the option you choose.
- If you would like the results of the sample, write the contact name and information on the requisition form. This is to notify you of the result. These details will be removed from the research sample after notifying you.
- Fill out the school name.
- Write the child's age in years and check off their legal sex.
- Check off 'symptomatic' if the person being tested has symptoms, or check off 'no symptoms' if the person being tested has no symptoms. If they have symptoms, please list the symptoms (example: cough, fever) and write the date when the first symptom started.
- Write the date and time when the saliva sample was collected.
- Keep the saliva sample in the fridge until drop-off.
- Drop off your completed classroom research sample at the ‘Saliva Kit Drop-off’ station at your school.
Individual and household testing
If your child tests positive, and you’re interested in the individual and household testing components, our research team will provide more details and coordinate kit drop-off with you.
Benefits of participating
The information we learn may help us better understand how long children are infectious with these viruses and how they spread. Informed decisions come from good data, which may help inform public health and prevent the spread of these viruses in the future.
Participants will receive a small token of appreciation in the form of a gift card for individual and household testing. Children participants for individual and household testing will also be given volunteer hours and offered a certificate of participation. Participating classrooms will be entered into a raffle for a celebratory experience approved by their school leadership.
Learn more
Research webinars will be held weekly on Tuesdays from 7 to 7:30 p.m. for staff, students and their families/guardians to attend starting Tuesday, October 8, until Tuesday, October 29.
Access the webinar online through Zoom:
- Webinar ID: 977 9982 0133
- Passcode: 675502
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our informational program webinars. If you missed them, you can view the presentation slides (PDF).
Contact
Reach out to us via email:
- Saliva Testing Program inquiries: school.salivatesting@sickkids.ca
- Saliva Testing Research inquiries: school.salivaresearch@sickkids.ca
Study name: Viral Dynamics of Influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 in Children and Secondary Transmission within Households and Schools
SickKids Principal Investigators (PI): Dr. Michelle Science & Dr. Aaron Campigotto
No. Testing is voluntary.
Whether you complete a test or not, follow your school’s policies and public health guidance for any symptoms you are experiencing.
Your test result does not indicate whether you should stay at home from school or work.
Results will not be disclosed to your school. Results will only be shared with the individual receiving disclosure.
No. A clinical test and a research test are separate. If you complete a clinical test, it will be treated like a regular test that is done at your doctor’s office or the hospital. Research tests will be labelled as research tests and are completely optional.
Similar accuracy to nasopharyngeal swab
Drop-off locations will be school-specific. For easy access, it is typically recommended to be inside the front entrance and/or foyer. Check your school communication materials to see where your school’s drop-off location is.
The parent/guardian/household member and/or individual completing the test is responsible for ensuring the correct completion of the lab requisition and specimen label.
Information must be complete and legally accurate for clinical samples. Preferred names cannot be accepted at this time.
The sample will be delivered with the next day’s pick-up.
If you come to drop off a sample on Friday after the courier has picked up samples, we ask you to keep your sample in the fridge over the weekend and drop it off on Monday before courier pick-up. This is to make sure the sample temperature remains stable over the weekend.