Pooled Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitalized Patients.

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Limited reagent availability for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing early in the COVID-19 pandemic posed a significant challenge.
• The scarcity of testing supplies necessitated innovative strategies to maintain diagnostic capacity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of a pooled testing strategy for SARS-CoV-2 in a low-risk population.
• To determine if sample pooling could conserve critical testing reagents and improve testing efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Nasopharyngeal samples from low-risk patients were grouped into sets of three for pooled viral testing.
• Testing was conducted over a three-week period to assess the performance of the pooled strategy.

Main Results:

• A total of 530 patient tests were performed using 179 cartridges with the pooled strategy.
• Four positive pooled test groups required 11 additional individual tests, yielding an overall positive rate of 0.8% in this low-risk cohort.
• The pooled testing approach saved 340 cartridges compared to individual testing of each patient sample.

Conclusions:

• Pooled testing of low-risk populations is an effective method for conserving SARS-CoV-2 testing reagents.
• This strategy allows for the continuation of viral surveillance programs even during periods of reagent scarcity.
• Sample pooling offers a viable solution to enhance testing capacity and resource management in public health emergencies.