Abstract

The simplicity and low cost of rapid point-of-care tests greatly facilitate large-scale population testing, which can contribute to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We evaluated the applicability of a self-testing strategy for SARS-CoV2 in a population-based, cross-sectional study in Cantabria, Spain, between April and May 2020. For the self-testing strategy, participants received the necessary material for the self-collection of blood and performance of a rapid antibody test using lateral flow immunoassay at home without the supervision of healthcare personnel. A total of 1,022 participants were enrolled. Most participants correctly performed the COVID-19 self-test the first time (91.3% [95% CI 89.4–92.9]). Only a minority of the participants (0.7%) needed the help of healthcare personnel, while 6.9% required a second kit delivery, for a total valid test result in 96.9% of the participants. Incorrect use of the self-test was not associated with the educational level, age over 65, or housing area. Prevalence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV2 for subjects with a valid rapid test result was 3.1% (95% CI 2.2–4.4), similar to the seroprevalence result obtained using a conventional approach carried out by healthcare professionals. In conclusion, COVID-19 self-testing should be considered as a screening tool.

Details

Title
Feasibility of large-scale population testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection by self-testing at home
Author
Iruzubieta Paula 1 ; Fernández-Lanas, Tatiana 1 ; Rasines Laura 1 ; Cayon Lorena 1 ; Álvarez-Cancelo, Ana 1 ; Santos-Laso, Alvaro 1 ; García-Blanco Agustín 1 ; Curiel-Olmo Soraya 1 ; Cabezas Joaquín 1 ; Wallmann Reinhard 2 ; Fábrega Emilio 1 ; Martínez-Taboada, Víctor M 3 ; Hernández, José L 4 ; López-Hoyos Marcos 5 ; Lazarus, Jeffrey V 6 ; Crespo, Javier 1 

 University of Cantabria, IDIVAL, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Clinical and Translational Digestive Research Group, Santander, Spain (GRID:grid.7821.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1770 272X) 
 Cantabria University School of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology and Computational Biology, Santander, Spain (GRID:grid.7821.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1770 272X) 
 Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, Division of Rheumatology, Santander, Spain (GRID:grid.411325.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 0627 4262) 
 Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, University of Cantabria, Department of Internal Medicine, Santander, Spain (GRID:grid.7821.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1770 272X) 
 Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, IDIVAL, Immunology Department, Santander, Spain (GRID:grid.411325.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 0627 4262) 
 Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.5841.8) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0247) 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2524564458
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.