The COVID-19 pandemic has created a public health crisis. Because SARS-CoV-2 can spread from individuals with presymptomatic, symptomatic, and asymptomatic infections, the reopening of societies and the control of virus spread will be facilitated by robust population screening, for which virus testing will often be central. After infection, individuals undergo a period of incubation during which viral titers are too low to detect, followed by exponential viral growth, leading to peak viral load and infectiousness and ending with declining titers and clearance. Given the pattern of viral load kinetics, we model the effectiveness of repeated population screening considering test sensitivities, frequency, and sample-to-answer reporting time. These results demonstrate that effective screening depends largely on frequency of testing and speed of reporting and is only marginally improved by high test sensitivity. We therefore conclude that screening should prioritize accessibility, frequency, and sample-to-answer time; analytical limits of detection should be secondary.
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Science: Test sensitivity is secondary to frequency and turnaround time for COVID-19 screening
Archived Briefings from Protect Our Province BC
Join us for an interview with Dr. Peter Rowe, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Children's Centre Chronic Fatigue Clinic at Johns Hopkins University as he gives us new hope for the treatment of Long COVID in Children. He explains that because of the parallels between ME/CFS and Long COVID in children, his 30 years of researched treatments for ME/CFS can be used to help children with Long COVID now while we are waiting for RCT ( randomized clinical trials) to occur.
Please join us for the POP BC live briefing on Long COVID: A Mass Disabling Event on Wednesday, October 30th at 1 pm as we discuss the important topic of Long COVID with Kayli Jamieson and Connie Chan, Long COVID survivors, and Dr. Ric Arseneau, Internal Medicine Specialist and Long COVID Physician and Director of one of the clinics treating Long COVID in BC.
As we start a new school year, clean air in schools is a vital issue not only because of the health effects from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and air pollution, but because of the direct link to the ability of children to learn. Hear about the new recommendations for Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Childcare Facilities from Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health.
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