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Preparedness of European diagnostic microbiology labs for detection of SARS-CoV-2, March 2020.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:To track the European spread of SARS-CoV-2, decentralized testing became necessary and test capacity needed to be expanded outside reference laboratories rapidly. METHODS:We assessed via an online questionnaire the preparedness of European hospital laboratories for detection of SARS-CoV-2 and listed the main drawbacks for implementation. RESULTS:Forty-five percent of the surveyed labs had a test in place by March 26th which is well into the first wave of the pandemic in most countries. CONCLUSIONS:The main implementation barriers for introduction of a SARSCoV-2 molecular assay in European diagnostic laboratories were availability of positive controls and a specificity panel.

SUBMITTER: Matheeussen V

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7227504 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Preparedness of European diagnostic microbiology labs for detection of SARS-CoV-2, March 2020.

Matheeussen Veerle V Matheeussen Veerle V Loens Katherine K Lammens Christine C Vilken Tuba T Koopmans Marion M Goossens Herman H Ieven Margareta M

Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology 20200515

<h4>Background</h4>To track the European spread of SARS-CoV-2, decentralized testing became necessary and test capacity needed to be expanded outside reference laboratories rapidly.<h4>Methods</h4>We assessed via an online questionnaire the preparedness of European hospital laboratories for detection of SARS-CoV-2 and listed the main drawbacks for implementation.<h4>Results</h4>Forty-five percent of the surveyed labs had a test in place by March 26th which is well into the first wave of the pand ...[more]

PMID: 32422569

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Project description:BackgroundAvailability of SARS-CoV-2 testing in the United States (U.S.) has fluctuated through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the U.S. state of Illinois. Despite substantial ramp-up in test volume, access to SARS-CoV-2 testing remains limited, heterogeneous, and insufficient to control spread.MethodsWe compared SARS-CoV-2 testing rates across geographic regions, over time, and by demographic characteristics (i.e., age and racial/ethnic groups) in Illinois during March through December 2020. We compared age-matched case fatality ratios and infection fatality ratios through time to estimate the fraction of SARS-CoV-2 infections that have been detected through diagnostic testing.ResultsBy the end of 2020, initial geographic differences in testing rates had closed substantially. Case fatality ratios were higher in non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino populations in Illinois relative to non-Hispanic White populations, suggesting that tests were insufficient to accurately capture the true burden of COVID-19 disease in the minority populations during the initial epidemic wave. While testing disparities decreased during 2020, Hispanic/Latino populations consistently remained the least tested at 1.87 tests per 1000 population per day compared with 2.58 and 2.87 for non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White populations, respectively, at the end of 2020. Despite a large expansion in testing since the beginning of the first wave of the epidemic, we estimated that over half (50-80%) of all SARS-CoV-2 infections were not detected by diagnostic testing and continued to evade surveillance.ConclusionsSystematic methods for identifying relatively under-tested geographic regions and demographic groups may enable policymakers to regularly monitor and evaluate the shifting landscape of diagnostic testing, allowing officials to prioritize allocation of testing resources to reduce disparities in COVID-19 burden and eventually reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Dataset Information

Preparedness of European diagnostic microbiology labs for detection of SARS-CoV-2, March 2020.

Publications

Preparedness of European diagnostic microbiology labs for detection of SARS-CoV-2, March 2020.

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