If no viral genetic material is present, amplification cannot occur, resulting in a negative result (Hadaya, Schumm and Livingston, 2020). A fluorescent signal is created when amplification occurs, and once the signal reaches a threshold, the test result is considered positive. This process is repeated many times, with a doubling of the target region with each cycle. The RT-PCR test involves binding sequences on the genetic material that only are found in the virus and repeatedly copying everything in between. Samples are taken from places likely to have high virus concentration, using a swab to collect samples from the back of the nose or mouth, or via a bronchoalveolar lavage to collect samples from deep inside the lungs. It tracks the presence of viral genetic material in a patient sample. RT-PCR is currently the only available means to detect the presence of the SARS‑CoV‑2, the viral agent responsible of the COVID‑19 disease, in the organism. This is needed to minimise the risk of further peaks of the outbreak or, at least, to win as much time as possible between the successive peaks. A strategy is needed about when and how to relax confinement, and when and how to re-tighten some of them when necessary. If all confinement strategies are lifted, however, the infection rate is expected to rebound in a matter of weeks (Ferguson et al., 2020). To avoid new peaks in the number of cases, overstretching health system capacities, infection rates need to remain suppressed until a vaccine or effective treatment are found. The big question is now how to manage these restrictions, and how to go back to a new normal of living with SARS‑CoV‑2 a social and economic life that coexist with the virus. To combat the pandemic, many countries have put in place strict containment and mitigation strategies to minimise the risk of transmission, decrease the spread of the virus and ‘buy time’ for health care systems to cope with the huge numbers of patients and ultimately save as many lives as possible (OECD, 2020).Īs part of the response to COVID‑19, virtually all OECD countries affected by the virus have introduced strict restrictions to social and economic life, including social distancing and even full lockdowns. Since the end of last year, the world has been in the grip of the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus, which has caused tens of thousands of deaths from the respiratory disease COVID‑19. The role of testing while waiting for a cure and a vaccine The brief discusses what tests can be used for each goal, as well as practical implementation issues with testing strategies, including the opportunities and risks of using digital tools in this context.ġ. This brief discusses how testing strategies can be used to achieve three main goals: 1) suppressing the resurgence of local outbreaks 2) identifying people who have developed some form of immunity and can safely return to work and 3) gaining intelligence on the evolution of the epidemic, including on when a threshold for herd immunity has been reached. Crucially, quick suppression of infections requires testing more people to identify who is infected tracking them to make sure they do not spread the disease further and tracing with whom they have been in contact. If all confinement restrictions are lifted before a vaccine or effective treatments are developed without other measures to suppress new infections, the infection rate is expected to rebound rapidly. This policy brief discusses the role of testing for COVID‑19 as part of any plan to lift confinement restrictions and prepare for a possible new wave of viral infections.
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