August 3, 2020

Utility of Repeat Testing for COVID-19: Lab Stewardship When the Stakes Are High

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Testing and Treatment

• There may be little benefit of repeat SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing within 7 days after a negative test in patients who present early in their illness in a low-prevalence setting. Among 275 patients with initially negative (94%) or inconclusive (6%) nasopharyngeal PCR tests in Omaha, Nebraska who were tested serially between March-April 2020, only 1 (1/275) was positive on the 2nd test, and only 1 (1/40) was positive on a 3rd test.  

Rearigh et al. (Aug 3, 2020). Utility of Repeat Testing for COVID-19: Lab Stewardship When the Stakes Are High. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2020.397