March 10, 2021

Modeling Transmission Dynamics and Effectiveness of Worker Screening Programs for SARS-CoV-2 in Pork Processing Plant

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Modeling and Prediction

Keywords (Tags): congregate settings, modeling, non-pharm interventions, testing

• [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A modeling study of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and screening programs in pork processing facilities during spring 2020 found that the effectiveness of routine PCR-screening at minimizing disease spread was influenced more by testing frequency than delays in results, the initial reproduction number, or background community transmission rates. While testing every three days prevented ~25- 40% of clinical cases and testing every 14 days averted ~7-13% of clinical cases, the absolute number of additional clinical cases was influenced by whether there was residual immunity from a previous peak. The authors suggest that when using PCR-screening to prevent outbreaks or in the early stages of an outbreak, frequent testing may not prevent a large outbreak. 

VanderWaal et al. (Mar 5, 2021). Modeling Transmission Dynamics and Effectiveness of Worker Screening Programs for SARS-CoV-2 in Pork Processing Plants. Pre-print downloaded Mar 10 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.02.21249552