tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Epidemiol Infect
. 2022 Nov 15;150:e193.
doi: 10.1017/S0950268822001777.
Epidemiological evaluation of mass testing in a small municipality in the Netherlands during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic
Lisanne Heijmink[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Juul Tönis[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Niek Gilhuis[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maartje Gerkema[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Lotte Hart[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Stijn Raven[SUP] 1 2 4 [/SUP], Jossy van den Boogaard[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Agnetha Hofhuis[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Susan van den Hof[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Olga Visser[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
During 6 weeks in February-March 2021, the Dutch municipal health service Utrecht studied the epidemiological effects on test incidence and the detection of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with mass testing (MT). During MT, inhabitants of Bunschoten could repeatedly test regardless of symptoms and as often as desired at the close-by test facilities in the municipality. Data from the regular COVID-19 registration was used for analysis. In Bunschoten, MT caused a significant increase in test incidence and an immediate increase in the number of detected active infections, in contrast to a stabilisation in the rest of the province of Utrecht. Age distribution of test incidence shifted to the older population in Bunschoten during MT. During MT, there was a 6.8 percentage point increase in detected asymptomatic cases, a 0.4 percentage point increase in pre-symptomatic cases and a decrease of 0.5 days between onset of symptoms and test date. This study has shown that MT increases test incidence and helps to obtain a more complete view of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a community, which can be useful in specific situations with a defined target group or goal. However, the question remains open whether the use of MT is proportionate to the overall gain.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 testing; Netherlands; SARS-CoV-2; mass screening.
. 2022 Nov 15;150:e193.
doi: 10.1017/S0950268822001777.
Epidemiological evaluation of mass testing in a small municipality in the Netherlands during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic
Lisanne Heijmink[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Juul Tönis[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Niek Gilhuis[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maartje Gerkema[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Lotte Hart[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Stijn Raven[SUP] 1 2 4 [/SUP], Jossy van den Boogaard[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Agnetha Hofhuis[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Susan van den Hof[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Olga Visser[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36440638
- DOI: 10.1017/S0950268822001777
Abstract
During 6 weeks in February-March 2021, the Dutch municipal health service Utrecht studied the epidemiological effects on test incidence and the detection of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with mass testing (MT). During MT, inhabitants of Bunschoten could repeatedly test regardless of symptoms and as often as desired at the close-by test facilities in the municipality. Data from the regular COVID-19 registration was used for analysis. In Bunschoten, MT caused a significant increase in test incidence and an immediate increase in the number of detected active infections, in contrast to a stabilisation in the rest of the province of Utrecht. Age distribution of test incidence shifted to the older population in Bunschoten during MT. During MT, there was a 6.8 percentage point increase in detected asymptomatic cases, a 0.4 percentage point increase in pre-symptomatic cases and a decrease of 0.5 days between onset of symptoms and test date. This study has shown that MT increases test incidence and helps to obtain a more complete view of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in a community, which can be useful in specific situations with a defined target group or goal. However, the question remains open whether the use of MT is proportionate to the overall gain.
Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 testing; Netherlands; SARS-CoV-2; mass screening.