From: Exit strategies from lockdowns due to COVID-19: a scoping review
Sr. No. | Country | Study | Testing strategy | Effect of testing strategy to support existing from lockdown |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | Muller et al. [45] | Daily random testing | • Daily random testing will reduce the delay between changes in policy and the observation of their effects • Additional testing capacity of 15,000 per day carried out randomly would provide data about the evolution of the epidemic during exit. |
2 | UK | Panovska-Griffith et al. [46] | Active testing of symptomatic population | Increased levels of testing (between 59 and 87% of symptomatic people tested at some point during an active COVID-19 infection) and effective contact tracing and isolation for infected individuals can prevent rebound of the epidemic during reopening of schools and society in UK. |
3 | Mendoza, Argentina | Mayorga et al. [47] | Extensive testing capacity to detect asymptomatic individuals | Massive COVID-19 screening to detect around half of the asymptomatic and very mildly affected individuals would not need strict suppressive actions- if 45% of asymptomatic individuals are detected through testing and are isolated, there would not be a need for lockdown. (This modelling exercise was undertaken with assumptions- a) imposing lockdown when ICU beds occupancy reaches 50%, and b) relaxing restrictions when this value reaches 30%) |
4 | India | Gupta et al. [17] | Increased testing | Lower restrictive measures along with increased testing during lockdown relaxation have the same effect as stricter physical distancing measures with lower levels of testing. |
5 | Italy | Li et al. [21] | Upscaling the testing capacity | • True number of infected cases and relative testing capacity are better determinants to guide lockdown exit strategies, compared to R. • Testing capacity of at least 16 times the number of newly infected cases is required before considering exit at regional levels in Italy. |
6 | Australia | Lokuge et al. [54] | Community-based surveillance strategy using pooling of samples | • Exhaustive testing of patients with respiratory symptoms in the community is the most efficient and feasible means of detecting community transmission of COVID-19 during relaxation of measures. • Pooling allows increased case detection when testing capacity is limited, even given reduced test sensitivity. |
7 | Italy | Pernice et al. [55] | Targeted testing in high-risk groups and contact tracing | • Contact tracing and targeted testing in high-risk groups would provide the same result as larger number of untargeted (or less targeted) tests. • Targeted testing approach is more efficient and feasible. |
8 | NA | Bej et al. [56] | Pro-active testing (testing beyond those who show symptoms) | • Compared effects of different exit strategies with high/low levels of pro-active testing. Strategies that lack high levels of pro-active testing led to a second wave of infection. |
9 | USA | Tam et al. [57] | Expanding testing capacity and encouraging early testing | • Infection rate can be decreased by increasing the sum of testing rate and recovery rate of asymptomatic individuals, after lifting the stay-at-home orders. |