Pooled SARS-CoV-2 Surveillance Testing: Benefits and Costs

The nation is still far behind hopes and expectations regarding widespread testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The many reasons for this failure include inadequate personnel, equipment, supplies, and will to achieve this goal. Leadership at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, used surveillance testing to find and quarantine asymptomatic infected students. To minimize reagents and cost, the university implemented a five-to-one pooled testing program using a quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay developed in-house. In-residence undergraduates were tested twice weekly; off-campus undergraduates were tested once or twice weekly and graduate students about once weekly. Te…