Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 17, 2020

Implementation of a Pooled Surveillance Testing Program for Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a College Campus — Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, August 2–October 11, 2020

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Duke University observed limited SARS-CoV-2 transmission during fall 2020, which is likely due to widespread adoption of risk-reduction behaviors, large-scale asymptomatic pooled testing for SARS-CoV-2, and contact tracing. Participation in asymptomatic testing was 95%, with 68,913 tests performed among 10,265 students, resulted in 84 positive cases detected. Most were identified through pool testing (35%) and contact tracing (27%). More than half of the positive cases were asymptomatic and 73% of the positive cases (identified through entry testing, pooled testing, or contact tracing) would not have been detected as quickly or at all through symptomatic testing alone. Pooled testing was highly cost-effective, saving nearly 80% of test resources compared with testing samples individually.

Denny et al. (Nov 17, 2020). Implementation of a Pooled Surveillance Testing Program for Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections on a College Campus — Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, August 2–October 11, 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6946e1