Effect of testing criteria for infectious disease surveillance: The case of COVID-19 in Norway.

ABSTRACT: During the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, the testing criteria and capacity changed numerous times. In this study, we aim to assess consequences of changes in testing criteria for infectious disease surveillance. We plotted the proportion of positive PCR tests and the total number of PCR tests for different periods of the pandemic in Norway. We fitted regression models for the total number of PCR tests and the probability of positive PCR tests, with time and weekday as explanatory variables. The regression analysis focuses on the time period until 2021, i.e. before Norway started vaccination. There were clear changes in testing criteria and capacity over time. In particular, there was a marked difference in the testing regime before and after the introduction of self-testing, with a drastic

SUBMITTER: Engebretsen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11326602 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature