Scientists from Yale found that frequent rapid-antigen testing can help keep groups of people safe from COVID-19.
The research is published in Communications Medicine and was conducted by Jeffrey Townsend et al.
Among oil-rig workers, shipping crews, and other groups of people who work closely together, COVID-19 can spread like wildfire. Yet trying to prevent spread with long quarantines can be just as disruptive.
In the study, researchers hit upon a more practical strategy for COVID surveillance on the part of companies, teams, schools, and communities.
They found with frequent, regular rapid antigen (RA) testing, plus isolating people who test positive, organizations can cut the risk of out-of-control COVID outbreaks effectively and make long quarantines a thing of the past.
This is possible even though RA tests are less accurate than gold-standard PCR tests.
It is because RA tests deliver results fast, making up in speed for what they lack in accuracy. That gives them an edge when they’re used frequently to test groups of people.
In a previous study, the team demonstrated that 14-day quarantines can safely be shortened to seven days if people test negative with a PCR test on the seventh day.
The current study suggests a way that groups can shorten quarantine even more.
Taking into account variations in different commercially available RA tests, the authors found that the ability of these tests to reduce post-quarantine transmission depends on (1) how long quarantine lasts and (2) how fast results come back.
When the RA tests are taken in relation to a person’s infection status—before, during, or after symptoms appear—is also important.
Speed is key. Though less accurate than the PCR test, RA testing gives results in minutes, while a PCR test may take many hours or even days, hampering real-time detection of who is infectious.
After all, people may contract or transmit COVID while they wait for results.
When testing to exit a two-day or shorter quarantine, the authors found, a negative quick-turnaround RA test can reduce COVID transmission more effectively than a 24-hour-turnaround PCR test.
With every-other-day testing, all RA test brands—even less accurate ones—work to suppress COVID outbreaks, the team found.
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