Evaluation of Rapid COVID-19 Testing at the Community Level in Kenya

Overview

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that leads to COVID-19 caused widespread disruption to lives across the world as governments took measures to mitigate its spread. SARS-CoV-2 has been very difficult to control as it is highly infectious and often transmitted before an individual has symptoms or by asymptomatic individuals. SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag- RDTs) are easy to use, affordable, and provide quick, point-of-care results, enabling testing to be conducted at decentralized levels. Once SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals are identified, isolation and contact tracing methods can help to reduce further transmission. By targeting high volume community venues, health workers can reach many individuals with Ag-RDTs in a short amount of time. Targeting all individuals, irrespective of the presence of symptoms, will help identify more SARS-CoV-2 infections as well as geographic areas where SARS-CoV-2 may be spreading in communities.

WHAT DID THE STUDY EXPLORE?

This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the acceptability of rapid SARS-CoV-2 testing and estimate the SARS-CoV-2 case detection rate, positivity rate among participants, and costs associated with testing.

• ACCEPTABILITY: What proportion of individuals agreed to be tested with SARS-CoV-2 Ag-RDTs? What were reasons given for refusing testing?
• CASE DETECTION RATE: For every 100 individuals tested, how many tested positive for SARS-CoV-2?
• POSITIVITY: What proportion of individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 using Ag-RDT and PCR tests? How many infected individuals had COVID-19 symptoms? What factors were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection?
• COST: What was the cost per individual tested? How much did it cost to identify one infected individual?
  What were the main cost drivers?