Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

December 4, 2020

Identification of Presymptomatic and Asymptomatic Cases Using Cohort-Based Testing Approaches at a Large Correctional Facility – Chicago, Illinois, USA, May 2020

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  • Cohort-based SARS-CoV-2 testing among detained persons in a Chicago jail who had been exposed to individuals with laboratory-confirmed infection found that the approach identified infected individuals who would not have be detected by symptom screening, with more than half of newly-identified cases either presymptomatic or asymptomatic. Two testing strategies were evaluated, the first involved serial testing at 3 time points over 14 days (n=137) and the second involved a single test and interview at the end of a 14-day quarantine period (day 14 group) (n=87). Overall, 19 of 172 people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Cohort-based testing at the start of quarantine identified the majority of SARS-CoV-2 infections (16/19, 84%), while only two cases (11%) were identified in the day 14 group.

Wadhwa et al. (Dec 3, 2020). Identification of Presymptomatic and Asymptomatic Cases Using Cohort-Based Testing Approaches at a Large Correctional Facility – Chicago, Illinois, USA, May 2020. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1802