Portable, point-of-care COVID-19 test discerns alpha variant from earlier strains Apr 20, 2022 9:00 amNews Article Share on Facebook Tweet Email Images CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A point-of-care COVID-19 test developed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can now detect and differentiate the alpha variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from earlier strains in saliva samples. Share on Facebook Tweet Email