A novel sample pooling strategy and its application for mass screening of SARS-CoV-2 in an outbreak of COVID-19 in Vietnam

Thanh, Ton That; Nhàn, Nguyễn Thị Thanh; Kim, Huynh; Trieu, Nguyen Bao; Huy, Le Xuan; Thuy, Ho Thi Thanh; Chung, Le Thanh; Anh, Nguyen Ngoc; Hong, Nguyen Thi Thu; Thang, Bui Duc; Thu, Nguyen Thị; Kim, Le Thi; Hanh, Nguyen Thi; Hoàng, Nguyễn Huy; Nguyen, Chau; Thwaites, Guy; Hung, Do Thai; Tan, Le Van; Yến, Ngô Thị Kim

doi:10.1101/2020.09.11.20192484

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Overall, there is increasing evidence for the efficacy of pooled testing strategies for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic individuals. The study by Thanh et al 13 published in this issue clearly shows the utility of pooled testing in a low-resource setting to screen a large asymptomatic population and prevent the expansion of a COVID-19 outbreak. Notably, this success was in conjunction with other aspects of a strong public health response, including a city-wide lockdown and rigorous contact tracing.…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…12 However, detailed published data on the pragmatic use of pooled testing in outbreaks in resource-limited settings are lacking. Therefore, the study published in this issue of AJTMH by Thanh et al 13 is particularly timely. After 100 days without community transmission in Vietnam, two individuals with COVID-19 disease were admitted to two different hospitals in Da Nang, triggering a massive outbreak investigation.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Validation of Pooled SARS-CoV-2 Testing in the Outbreak Setting

Briggs

2021

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 95%

mentioning

confidence: 97%

Validation of Pooled SARS-CoV-2 Testing in the Outbreak Setting

Briggs

2021

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Phylodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spread in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlights how metropolitan areas act as dispersal hubs for new variants

Lamarca

Almeida

Francisco

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the first semester of 2021, all of Brazil has suffered an intense wave of COVID-19 associated with the Gamma variant. In July, the first cases of Delta variant were detected in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In this work, we have employed phylodynamic methods to analyze more than 1,600 genomic sequences of Delta variant collected until September in Rio de Janeiro to reconstruct how this variant has surpassed Gamma and dispersed throughout the state. After the introduction of Delta, it has initially spread mostly in the homonymous city of Rio de Janeiro, the most populous of the state. In a second stage, dispersal occurred to mid- and long-range cities, which acted as new close-range hubs for spread. We observed that the substitution of Gamma by Delta was possibly caused by its higher viral load, a proxy for transmissibility. This variant turnover prompted a new surge in cases, but with lower lethality than was observed during the peak caused by Gamma. We reason that high vaccination rates in the state of Rio de Janeiro were possibly what prevented a higher number of deaths.

show abstract

SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testing of pooled saliva samples: a case study of 824 asymptomatic individuals and a questionnaire survey in Japan

Oba

Taniguchi

Sato

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for diagnostic and screening tests has exceeded supply. Although the proportion of vaccinated people has increased in wealthier countries, breakthrough infections have occurred amid the emergence of new variants. Pooled-sample COVID-19 testing using saliva has been proposed as an efficient, inexpensive, and non-invasive method to allow larger-scale testing, especially in a screening setting. In this study, we aimed to evaluate pooled RT-qPCR saliva testing and to compare the results with individual tests.Employees of Philips Japan, Ltd. were recruited to participate in COVID-19 screening from October to December 2020. Asymptomatic individuals (n=824) submitted self-collected saliva samples. Samples were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR in both 10-sample pools and individual tests. We also surveyed participants regarding their thoughts and behaviors after the PCR screening project.Two of the 824 individuals were positive by RT-qPCR. In the pooled testing, one of these two had no measurable Ct value, but showed an amplification trend at the end of the PCR cycle. Both positive individuals developed cold-like symptoms, but neither required hospitalization. Of the 824 participants, 471 responded to our online questionnaire. Overall, while respondents agreed that PCR screening should be performed regularly, the majority were willing to undergo PCR testing only when it was provided for free or at low cost.In conclusion, pooled testing of saliva samples can support frequent large-scale screening that is rapid, efficient, and inexpensive.

show abstract

A novel sample pooling strategy and its application for mass screening of SARS-CoV-2 in an outbreak of COVID-19 in Vietnam

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Validation of Pooled SARS-CoV-2 Testing in the Outbreak Setting

Validation of Pooled SARS-CoV-2 Testing in the Outbreak Setting

Phylodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 spread in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlights how metropolitan areas act as dispersal hubs for new variants

SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR testing of pooled saliva samples: a case study of 824 asymptomatic individuals and a questionnaire survey in Japan

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About