Publication details

SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests provide benefits for epidemic control - observations from Austrian schools

Authors

POLECHOVA Jitka JOHNSON Kory D PAYNE Pavel CROZIER Alex BEIGLBOECK Mathias PLEVKA Pavel SCHERNHAMMER Eva

Year of publication 2022
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Journal of clinical epidemiology
MU Faculty or unit

Central European Institute of Technology

Citation
web https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895435622000087?via%3Dihub
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2022.01.002
Keywords COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Lateral flow device; Public health; Repeat testing; Large-scale testing
Description Objective: This paper motivates and justifies the use of antigen tests for epidemic control as distinct from a diagnostic test. Study Design and Setting: We discuss the relative advantages of antigen and PCR tests, summarizing evidence from both the literature as well as Austrian schools, which conducted frequent, mass rapid antigen testing during the spring of 2021. While our report on testing predates Delta, we have updated the review with recent data on viral loads in breakthrough infections and more information about testing efficacy, especially in children. Results: Rapid antigen tests detect proteins at the surface of virus particles, identifying the disease during its infectious phase. In contrast, PCR tests detect viral genomes: they can thus diagnose COVID-19 before the infectious phase but also react to remnants of the virus genome, even weeks after live virus ceases to be detectable in the respiratory tract. Furthermore, the logistics for administering the tests are different. Large-scale rapid antigen testing in Austrian schools showed low false-positive rates along with an approximately 10% lower effective reproduction number in the tested cohort. Conclusion: Using antigen tests at least 2-3 times per week could become a powerful tool to suppress the COVID-19 pandemic. (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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