Test positivity - Evaluation of a new metric to assess epidemic dispersal mediated by non-symptomatic cases.

ABSTRACT: Epidemic control may be hampered when the percentage of asymptomatic cases is high. Seeking remedies for this problem, test positivity was explored between the first 60 to 90 epidemic days in six countries that reported their first COVID-19 case between February and March 2020: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, and Uruguay. Test positivity (TP) is the percentage of test-positive individuals reported on a given day out of all individuals tested the same day. To generate both country-specific and multi-country information, this study was implemented in two stages. First, the epidemiologic data of the country infected last (Uruguay) were analyzed. If at least one TP-related analysis yielded a statistically significant relationship, later assessments would investigate the six countries.

SUBMITTER: Fasina FO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8144156 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature