Index cases first identified by nasal-swab rapid COVID-19 tests had more transmission to household contacts than cases identified by other test types.

ABSTRACT: At-home rapid COVID-19 tests in the U.S. utilize nasal-swab specimens and require high viral loads to reliably give positive results. Longitudinal studies from the onset of infection have found infectious virus can present in oral specimens days before nasal. Detection and initiation of infection-control practices may therefore be delayed when nasal-swab rapid tests are used, resulting in greater transmission to contacts. We assessed whether index cases first identified by rapid nasal-swab COVID-19 tests had more transmission to household contacts than index cases who used other test types (tests with higher analytical sensitivity and/or non-nasal specimen types). In this observational cohort study, 370 individuals from 85 households with a recent COVID-19 case were screened at least daily

SUBMITTER: Ji J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10553276 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature