Researchers Make Case for Frequent Rapid Home Testing for SARS-CoV-2

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

A modeling study in the Annals of Internal Medicine makes a case for rapid, home-based antigen testing to help stem the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic.

The researchers estimate that without regular home SARS-CoV-2 testing, 11.6 million infections and 119,000 related deaths would occur over a 60-day period, with $10.1 billion in overall costs (inpatient and lost-productivity costs combined). However, with weekly home testing and isolation for those who test positive, new infections could drop to 8.8 million and deaths to 103,000, although some costs would increase. Overall, weekly testing would result in a cost per infection avoided of $7890 and a cost per death avoided of $1.43 million.

Outcomes varied depending on changes to the model, such as level of adherence to testing and isolation. Nonetheless, in all scenarios, there were large decreases in infections.

The researchers emphasize that widespread testing is important even with the vaccine rollout, given "limited vaccine supply, vaccine hesitancy and refusal, and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants that are more contagious and potentially less susceptible to existing vaccines."

(Editors' note: One of the study's authors, Dr. Paul Sax, is the author of NEJM Journal Watch's HIV and ID Observations. He had no role in our coverage.)