Evaluation of Screening Tests in Bavarian Healthcare Facilities during the Second Wave of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Christina Tischer, Carolin Stupp, Patrick Janson, Kristina Willeke, Chu-Wei Hung, Jessica Flöter, Anna Kirchner, Katharina Zink, Lisa Eder, Christina Hackl, Ursula Mühle, Manfred Weidmann, Uta Nennstiel, Joseph Kuhn, Christian Weidner, Bernhard Liebl, Manfred Wildner and Thomas Keil
Additional contact information
Christina Tischer: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Carolin Stupp: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Patrick Janson: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Kristina Willeke: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Chu-Wei Hung: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Jessica Flöter: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Anna Kirchner: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Katharina Zink: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Lisa Eder: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Christina Hackl: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Ursula Mühle: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Manfred Weidmann: Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Medical School Brandenburg Theodor Fontane, Universitätsplatz 1, Gebäude 14, 01968 Senftenberg, Germany
Uta Nennstiel: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Joseph Kuhn: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Christian Weidner: Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Bernhard Liebl: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Manfred Wildner: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
Thomas Keil: State Institute of Health, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Eggenreuther Weg 43, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: Due to the lack of data on asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2-positive persons in healthcare institutions, they represent an inestimable risk. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the first 1,000,000 reported screening tests of asymptomatic staff, patients, residents, and visitors in hospitals and long-term care (LTC) facilities in the State of Bavaria over a period of seven months. Data were used from the online database BayCoRei (Bavarian Corona Screening Tests), established in July 2020. Descriptive analyses were performed, describing the temporal pattern of persons that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or antigen tests, stratified by facility. Until 15 March 2021, this database had collected 1,038,146 test results of asymptomatic subjects in healthcare facilities (382,240 by RT-PCR, and 655,906 by antigen tests). Of the RT-PCR tests, 2.2% (n = 8380) were positive: 3.0% in LTC facilities, 2.2% in hospitals, and 1.2% in rehabilitation institutions. Of the antigen tests, 0.4% (n = 2327) were positive: 0.5% in LTC facilities, and 0.3% in both hospitals and rehabilitation institutions, respectively. In LTC facilities and hospitals, infection surveillance using RT-PCR tests, or the less expensive but less sensitive, faster antigen tests, could facilitate the long-term management of the healthcare workforce, patients, and residents.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; asymptomatic screening; RT-PCR; antigen testing; infection surveillance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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