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The Los Angeles Unified School District launched an ambitious program in August 2020 to test more than 700,000 students and staff for SARS-CoV-2. The district is paying a private contractor to provide next-day, early-morning results for as many as 40,000 tests daily and as of October 4, 2020, a total of 34,833 people had been tested at 42 sites.
An article based on this at The New England Journal of Medicine concluded:
- An estimated 40% of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic and 50% of transmissions occur from asymptomatic persons, making screening testing critical for opening schools
- There is a shortage of tests; as one analysis estimates that that K–12 schools would deplete the government procured 150 million rapid antigen supply in 19 days if most students and staff were tested one to two times per week
- The cost of testing ranges from $50-200; a burden on schools as federal law does not require employers or insurers to pay for SARS-CoV-2 screening tests administered as part of a return-to-work or return-to-school strategy
- The delay in getting results have disturbing consequences and a modeling study showed that same-day results can prevent 80% of new transmissions, whereas a 7-day delay stops only 5%
At a Glance
Los Angeles Unified School District is providing next-day, early-morning results for as many as 40,000 tests daily
50% of transmissions occur from asymptomatic persons making screening testing critical
LAUSD K–12 schools would deplete the supply of 150 million rapid antigen tests in 19 days if most students and staff were tested one to two times per week
To Read the Full Study: Click Here
Source: Rafiei, Y. & Mello, M. "The Missing Piece — SARS-CoV-2 Testing and School Reopening." December 3, 2020. N Engl J Med 2020; 383:e126. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2028209 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2028209
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