Division of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Institute for Virology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2023 Aug;106(4):115991. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2023.115991. Epub 2023 May 25.
In the context of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, reliable and cost-efficient screening and testing strategies are crucial to prevent disease transmission and reduce socioeconomic losses. To assess the efficiency of a rapid antigen test (RAT)-based SARS-CoV-2 contact-tracing and screening regime, we conducted a retrospective analysis of RAT and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test data over a 1-year period, assessed test characteristics and estimated cost-effectiveness. The RAT had a sensitivity of 70.2% overall and 89.3% for people with a high risk of infectivity. We estimated inpatient treatment and quarantined healthcare worker costs of over € 5860.83, whereas the cost of identifying one SARS-CoV-2 positive person by RAT for our patient cohort was € 1210.75. In contrast, the estimated respective PCR cost was € 5043.32. Therefore, a RAT-based contract tracing and screening regime may be an efficient and cost-effective way to contribute to the early identification and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
在当前 SARS-CoV-2 大流行的背景下，可靠且具有成本效益的筛查和检测策略对于防止疾病传播和减少社会经济损失至关重要。为了评估基于快速抗原检测 (RAT) 的 SARS-CoV-2 接触者追踪和筛查方案的效率，我们对 1 年内的 RAT 和聚合酶链反应 (PCR) 检测数据进行了回顾性分析，评估了检测特征并估计了成本效益。RAT 的总体敏感性为 70.2%，对感染风险高的人群的敏感性为 89.3%。我们估计住院治疗和隔离医护人员的费用超过 5860.83 欧元，而通过 RAT 为我们的患者队列识别一名 SARS-CoV-2 阳性患者的成本为 1210.75 欧元。相比之下，估计的 PCR 成本分别为 5043.32 欧元。因此，基于 RAT 的接触者追踪和筛查方案可能是一种有助于早期识别和预防 SARS-CoV-2 传播的有效且具有成本效益的方法。
