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Use of Vinegar and Water to Identify COVID-19 Cases During a Workplace Entrance Screening Protocol
Nimisha Kalia1, Jessica Aguilar Moraga, Max Manzanares
1Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Dr Kalia, Dr Bernacki, Dr Tao); Animal Nutrition Health & Technology Lead for Latin America, Cargill, Inc., Condominio Estefania, Managua, Nicaragua (Dr Moraga); Sub Regional Occupational Health Lead for Central America & Mexico, Cargill, Inc., Heredia, Costa Rica (Dr Manzanares); Sub Regional Occupational Health Lead for Brazil, Cargill, Inc., Uberlândia, MG, Brazil (Dr Friede); Optimal Workplace & Environmental Wellness Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Dr Kusti); Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin (Dr Bernacki, Dr Tao).
Objective:
To evaluate an empirical olfactory test to identify COVID-19 cases during a workplace entrance screening.
Method:
An active screening for olfactory dysfunction using water and vinegar was conducted in April to June 2020 among 4120 meat packing workers in Latin America.
Results:
The sensitivity and specificity of the active olfactory screening examination were 41.2% and 85.3%, respectively, using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests as a gold standard. 10.6% of employees who tested positive for COVID-19 had an olfactory dysfunction as their only symptom. These individuals would not have been identified with standard workplace screening measures including temperature screening.
Conclusion:
Active screening for olfactory dysfunction may serve as a valuable tool to both identify potential COVID-19 infections and exclude those who do not have infection and should be a part of parallel algorithm combined with standard workplace entrance screening procedures.
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