Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

September 15, 2020

Pooled Testing for Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Asymptomatic Individuals

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  • A 10-specimen manual pooling algorithm was the optimal pool size for surveillance of asymptomatic healthcare workers. Das et al. found that pool sizes up to 10 were able to detect positive samples with a threshold of cycle time (Ct) <36. An evaluation of this approach included 700 pools (7,000 total samples) and found eight positive pools, with every positive pool yielding only one positive specimen upon deconvolution in a population with an estimated prevalence of 0.1%.

Das et al. (Sept 3, 2020). Pooled Testing for Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in Asymptomatic Individuals. Journal of Clinical Virology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104619