IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v13y2022i1d10.1038_s41467-021-27845-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rapid antigen testing as a reactive response to surges in nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 outbreak risk

Author

Listed:
  • David R. M. Smith

    (Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion (EMAE)
    Anti-infective evasion and pharmacoepidemiology team
    Conservatoire national des arts et métiers)

  • Audrey Duval

    (Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion (EMAE)
    Anti-infective evasion and pharmacoepidemiology team
    IAME, UMR 1137, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité)

  • Jean Ralph Zahar

    (IAME, UMR 1137, Université Paris 13, Sorbonne Paris Cité
    Groupe Hospitalier Paris Seine Saint-Denis, AP-HP)

  • Lulla Opatowski

    (Epidemiology and Modelling of Antibiotic Evasion (EMAE)
    Anti-infective evasion and pharmacoepidemiology team)

  • Laura Temime

    (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
    Conservatoire national des arts et métiers)

Abstract

Healthcare facilities are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 introductions and subsequent nosocomial outbreaks. Antigen rapid diagnostic testing (Ag-RDT) is widely used for population screening, but its health and economic benefits as a reactive response to local surges in outbreak risk are unclear. We simulate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a long-term care hospital with varying COVID-19 containment measures in place (social distancing, face masks, vaccination). Across scenarios, nosocomial incidence is reduced by up to 40-47% (range of means) with routine symptomatic RT-PCR testing, 59-63% with the addition of a timely round of Ag-RDT screening, and 69-75% with well-timed two-round screening. For the latter, a delay of 4-5 days between the two screening rounds is optimal for transmission prevention. Screening efficacy varies depending on test sensitivity, test type, subpopulations targeted, and community incidence. Efficiency, however, varies primarily depending on underlying outbreak risk, with health-economic benefits scaling by orders of magnitude depending on the COVID-19 containment measures in place.

Suggested Citation

  • David R. M. Smith & Audrey Duval & Jean Ralph Zahar & Lulla Opatowski & Laura Temime, 2022. "Rapid antigen testing as a reactive response to surges in nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 outbreak risk," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-27845-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27845-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27845-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-021-27845-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-27845-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.