COVID-19 surge testing in a unitary local authority in England: an observational study

In May 2021, due to rising case rates and the detection of a new variant of concern, increased asymptomatic 'surge testing' for COVID-19 was implemented in Bedford Borough.

Over 3 weeks, surge testing in higher incidence areas utilized: (i) mobile testing units, (ii) home test kit collection and drop-off and (iii) Door-to-door outreach. Testing was voluntary and supported by a communication campaign. Test results and data provided by participants were analyzed.

During surge testing, 16% (n = 5018) of the target population were tested, resulting in 125 positive results (2.5%). Females, those identifying as white, and those living in the most deprived quintile (Q1) were over-represented in testing. Test positivity was relatively higher for ages 0-19 (4.0%), for minority ethnic groups (2.8%), and those not listing an ethnic group (15.1%). Test positivity was lowest for the door-to-door outreach approach (0.9%), despite collecting the most samples (2225).

Surge testing in Bedford reached a large number of people, was particularly successful at reaching people living in the most deprived areas, and identified cases that might have otherwise been missed. However, the testing did not reach the majority of the population, and began after new infections had begun to fall.