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Updated: Dec 15, 2025
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Large-Scale SARS-CoV-2 Testing Utilizing Saliva and Transposition Sample Pooling
Published on: June 23, 2022
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SARS-CoV-2 infection testing at delivery: a clinical and epidemiological priority
Enrico Ferrazzi1,2, Paolo Beretta3, Stefano Bianchi2
1Department of Mother, Child and Neonate, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
Summary
Universal testing of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a higher-than-expected SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate. This highlights the importance of routine testing for monitoring infections in women of fertile age.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Universal testing is proposed for safe exit from COVID-19 lockdowns.
- Pregnant women are considered a sentinel population for monitoring SARS-CoV-2.
- Testing pregnant women can inform access to COVID-19 areas and neonatal care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among women admitted for delivery.
- To assess the utility of routine testing in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Nasopharyngeal swabs were used to test 1566 women admitted for delivery between April 10-26.
- Data was collected from maternity hospitals in Milan and six Lombardy provinces.
Main Results:
- 49 out of 1566 women tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, a prevalence of 3.1% (95% CI 2.3-4.0).
- This prevalence was significantly higher than estimated by health authorities.
- Of those positive, 44.9% had symptoms or known contact with positive individuals.
Conclusions:
- Routine SARS-CoV-2 testing of delivering women is a valuable method for monitoring infection rates.
- This approach can help track positivity in women of fertile age.
- Findings suggest a higher burden of infection than initially estimated.
