COVID-19 Trends in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area from a Mobile Testing Program: Last Quarter of 2020

Abstract

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a public health concern, and Arizona has once again been a COVID-19 hotspot, peaking at 118.3 cases per 100,000. Understanding the trends in COVID-19 positivity rates over time is crucial in planning and mitigation of the virus. This current study analyzes the trends in COVID-19 testing, and COVID-19 antigen and antibody positivity rates over a 3-month time-span from October to December 2020. A retrospective study was conducted collecting data from a mobile testing program during October to December 2020 in the Phoenix metropolitan area. COVID-19 antigen and antibody positivity rates were analyzed. A total of 6710 patients were included in the study. As the months progressed, more patients were tested (October: 1635; November: 2037; December: 3038). The COVID-19 antigen positivity rate was significantly higher in December, compared to October and November (13.43% vs. 11.43 and 10.86%, p = 0.021). COVID-19 IgG rates were also significantly higher in November and December, compared to October (16.65 and 16.50% vs. 8.74%, p < 0.001). There was a progressive increase in COVID-19 positivity cases towards the end of 2020, likely attributed to factors including social gatherings during the holidays and the relaxing of the closure restrictions. Continued public health measures is crucial in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Mobile COVID-19 testing program in Phoenix: A retrospective observational cohort study of results, trends, and positivity rates

“…These surges and peaks mirror the ADHS data and is likely attributed to the increase in social gatherings and travel during the holiday season. [2,[10][11][12] Closecontact environments, such as family and social gatherings, are associated with higher rates of COVID-19 transmission, with reports as high as 18.7 times higher odds of COVID-19 transmission compared to open-air environments (OR 18.7; 95% CI, 6.0-57.9). [13][14][15][16] Increased air travel, longer wait times and flight delays during the holiday season further increase risk of transmission through close contact environments.…”

Trends in COVID-19 Testing and Positivity Rates from a Mobile Testing Program in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area

“…The rise is likely attributed to the holiday season, including Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's. Holidays, which were a time of family gatherings, and brought together large numbers of individuals into close contact [11]. Air travel during the holidays also increased, and airports had large crowds of passengers waiting to board flights.…”

COVID AMP: An Open Access Dataset of COVID-19 Response Policies

“…[9] Additional studies used COVID AMP to validate parameter assumptions for models about the timing of intervention implementation [10,11]. Others have used COVID AMP to analyse global differences in response strategies to the Omicron variant through specific focus on travel restrictions [8], access archived public health measures from governments, trace the progression of policy, and evaluate the role of institutions [12,13], and assess the benefits of mask-wearing at the county-level. [14] These studies highlight the ease of use of the database and suggest that significant future work could continue to make use of COVID AMP to ask new questions about the Covid-19 pandemic.…”