Monitored Implementation of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Screening at Taxi Ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa

Autor: Mohammed Majam, Vanessa Msolomba, François Venter, Lesley Erica Scott, Trish Kahamba, Wendy Susan Stevens, Michael Rademeyer, Tanya van Tonder, Sanjida Karim, Rigveda Kadam, Paula Akugizibwe
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Diagnostics, Vol 12, Iss 2, p 402 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2075-4418
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12020402
Popis: Digital tools can support community-based decentralized testing initiatives to broaden access to COVID-19 diagnosis, especially in high-transmission settings. This operational study investigated the use of antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) for COVID-19 combined with an end-to-end digital health solution, in three taxi ranks in Johannesburg, South Africa. Members of the public were eligible if they were aged ≥18 years, could read, and had a cellphone. Over 15,000 participants, enrolled between June and September 2021, were screened for COVID-19 risk factors. A digital risk questionnaire identified 2061 (13%) participants as moderate risk and 2987 (19%) as high risk, based on symptoms and/or recent exposure to a known case. Of this group referred for testing, 3997 (79%) received Ag-RDTs, with positivity rates of 5.1% in the “high-risk” group and 0.8% in the “moderate-risk” group. A subset of 569 randomly selected participants received additional PCR testing. Sensitivity of the Ag-RDT in this setting was 40% (95% CI: 30.3%, 50.3%); most false negatives had high cycle threshold values (>25), hence low viral loads. Over 80% of participants who tested positive completed a 2-week phone-based follow-up questionnaire. Overall, the digital tool combined with Ag-RDTs enhanced community-based decentralized COVID-19 testing service delivery, reporting and follow-up.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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