Gastroenterology and Hepatology Department, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Clinical and Translational Digestive Research Group, University of Cantabria, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain.
Division of Epidemiology and Computational Biology, Cantabria University School of Medicine, Santander, Spain.
Sci Rep. 2021 May 10;11(1):9819. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-89236-x.
The simplicity and low cost of rapid point-of-care tests greatly facilitate large-scale population testing, which can contribute to controlling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We evaluated the applicability of a self-testing strategy for SARS-CoV2 in a population-based, cross-sectional study in Cantabria, Spain, between April and May 2020. For the self-testing strategy, participants received the necessary material for the self-collection of blood and performance of a rapid antibody test using lateral flow immunoassay at home without the supervision of healthcare personnel. A total of 1,022 participants were enrolled. Most participants correctly performed the COVID-19 self-test the first time (91.3% [95% CI 89.4-92.9]). Only a minority of the participants (0.7%) needed the help of healthcare personnel, while 6.9% required a second kit delivery, for a total valid test result in 96.9% of the participants. Incorrect use of the self-test was not associated with the educational level, age over 65, or housing area. Prevalence of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV2 for subjects with a valid rapid test result was 3.1% (95% CI 2.2-4.4), similar to the seroprevalence result obtained using a conventional approach carried out by healthcare professionals. In conclusion, COVID-19 self-testing should be considered as a screening tool.
快速床边检测的简单性和低成本极大地方便了大规模人群检测，有助于控制 COVID-19 病毒的传播。我们在西班牙坎塔布里亚的一项基于人群的横断面研究中评估了 SARS-CoV2 自我检测策略的适用性，该研究于 2020 年 4 月至 5 月进行。对于自我检测策略，参与者在家中自行采集血液并使用侧向流动免疫测定法进行快速抗体检测，为此他们收到了必要的材料，但无需医护人员的监督。共有 1022 名参与者入组。大多数参与者第一次正确完成了 COVID-19 自我检测（91.3% [95%CI 89.4-92.9]）。只有少数参与者（0.7%）需要医护人员的帮助，而 6.9%需要再次配送试剂盒，因此 96.9%的参与者获得了有效的检测结果。自我检测使用不当与教育程度、65 岁以上年龄或住房面积无关。对于快速检测结果有效的参与者，针对 SARS-CoV2 的 IgG 抗体的阳性率为 3.1%（95%CI 2.2-4.4），与通过医护人员进行的常规方法获得的血清阳性率结果相似。总之，COVID-19 自我检测应被视为一种筛查工具。
