Utilisation of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen assays in screening asymptomatic hospital visitors: mitigating the risk in low-incidence settings. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wee, Liang En; Conceicao, Edwin Philip; Sim, Jean Xiang-Ying; Venkatachalam, Indumathi; Wijaya, Limin
• Is Part Of: International journal of infectious diseases. Volume 114(2022)
• Page Start: 132
• Page End: 134
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: SARS-CoV-2 -- COVID-19 -- antigen test -- point-of-care testing -- outbreak -- visitors; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.11.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1201-9712

Abstract

Highlights: SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing for asymptomatic hospital visitors was low-yielding. COVID-19 cases were identified in < 0.01% of hospital visitors over 2 months. No evidence of nosocomial transmission from hospital visitors was identified. Abstract: Retrospective contact tracing, enabled by the use of automated visitor-management systems and digital contact tracing, together with rapid antigen detection (RAD) for SARS-CoV-2 among visitors staying ≥ 30 minutes, identified COVID-19 cases in < 0.01% (6/72 605) of hospital visitors to a large hospital campus over an 8-week study period. The potential for nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from hospital visitors was thus very low, and could be further mitigated by universal mask-wearing among staff and visitors.