Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Kowloon West Cluster, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong.
Clinical Research Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Med J. 2021 Apr;27(2):99-105. doi: 10.12809/hkmj208909. Epub 2021 Apr 1.
The Hospital Authority of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region established a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) temporary test centre at the AsiaWorld-Expo from March 2020 to April 2020, which allowed high-risk individuals to undergo early assessment of potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study reviewed the characteristics and outcomes of individuals who attended the centre for COVID-19 testing.
This retrospective cross-sectional study collected epidemiological and clinical data. The primary outcome was a positive or negative SARS-CoV-2 test result, according to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses of pooled nasopharyngeal and throat swabs collected at the centre. The relationships of clinical characteristics with SARS-CoV-2 positive test results were assessed by multivariable binary logistic regression.
Of 1258 attendees included in the analysis, 86 individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection (positivity rate=6.84%; 95% confidence interval [CI]=5.57%-8.37%). Of these 86 individuals, 40 (46.5%) were aged 15 to 24 years and 81 (94.2%) had a history of recent travel. Symptoms were reported by 86.0% and 96.3% of individuals with positive and negative test results, respectively. The clinical characteristics most strongly associated with a positive test result were anosmia (adjusted odds ratio [OR]=8.30; 95% CI=1.12-127.09) and fever OR=1.32; 95% CI=1.02-3.28).
The temporary test centre successfully helped identify individuals with COVID-19 who exhibited mild disease symptoms. Healthcare providers should carefully consider the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 to arrange early testing to reduce community spread.
香港特别行政区医院管理局于 2020 年 3 月至 4 月在亚洲国际博览馆设立了 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）临时检测中心，允许高危个体对潜在的严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）感染进行早期评估。本研究回顾了在该中心进行 COVID-19 检测的个体的特征和结局。
本回顾性横断面研究收集了流行病学和临床数据。主要结局是根据在该中心采集的鼻咽和咽拭子混合样本进行逆转录聚合酶链反应分析的 SARS-CoV-2 检测阳性或阴性结果。通过多变量二项逻辑回归评估临床特征与 SARS-CoV-2 阳性检测结果的关系。
在纳入分析的 1258 名就诊者中，86 人 SARS-CoV-2 感染检测结果阳性（阳性率=6.84%；95%置信区间[CI]：5.57%-8.37%）。这 86 人中，40 人（46.5%）年龄在 15 至 24 岁之间，81 人（94.2%）有近期旅行史。阳性和阴性检测结果者分别有 86.0%和 96.3%报告了症状。与阳性检测结果最密切相关的临床特征是嗅觉丧失（调整后的优势比[OR]=8.30；95%CI：1.12-127.09）和发热（OR=1.32；95%CI：1.02-3.28）。
临时检测中心成功帮助识别了表现为轻症的 COVID-19 患者。医疗保健提供者应仔细考虑 COVID-19 的流行病学和临床特征，安排早期检测以减少社区传播。
