Japan said on Tuesday that it has approved saliva-based tests for the new coronavirus. The new test will offer an efficient way of diagnosing the infection and will accelerate the testing rates, Reuters reported.

Currently, Japan is using nasal swabs, which expose medical workers to tiny droplets f coughs and sneezes during the collection. Hence, doctors have to wear protective gear while taking the samples.

The saliva-based tests are able to be given to those who have had symptoms for up to nine days, Japan’s health ministry said. It wasn’t immediately clear how much the change would boost overall testing capacity.

“This will vastly reduce burdens on patients as well as burdens that come with infection-prevention steps on the part of sample-collecting institutions,” Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told media, outlining the change, as per the Reuters report.

As of May 20, Japan conducted 3.4 PCR tests per 1,000 people, lagging far behind the other developed nations like Italy’s 52.5 and 39 in the United States, according to Oxford University data. South Korea has carried out tests on 15 people per 1,000 people.

Japan had eased the restrictions last week and had reported around 17,000 cases with 898 deaths so far, according to NHK public broadcaster.

However, the global pandemic has disrupted Japan’s economy and has brought multiyear lows to the popularity of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s.

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