Perceived COVID-19 risk and testing experiences in the San Ysidro U.S./Mexico border region.

Racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence are pronounced in underserved U.S./Mexico border communities. Working and living environments in these communities can lead to increased risk of COVID-19 infection and transmission, and this increased risk is exacerbated by lack of access to testing. As part of designing a community and culturally tailored COVID-19 testing program, we surveyed community members in the San Ysidro border region. The purpose of our study was to characterize knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of prenatal patients, prenatal caregivers, and pediatric caregivers at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FHQC) in the San Ysidro region regarding perceived risk of COVID-19 infection and access to testing. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect information on experiences accessing COVID-19 testing and perceived risk of COVID-19 infection within San Ysidro between December 29, 2020 and April 2, 2021. A total of 179 surveys were analyzed. Most participants identified as female (85%) and as Mexican/Mexican American (75%). Over half (56%) were between the age of 25 and 34 years old. Perceived Risk: 37% reported moderate to high risk of COVID-19 infection, whereas 50% reported their risk low to none. Testing Experience: Approximately 68% reported previously being tested for COVID-19. Among those tested, 97% reported having very easy or easy access to testing. Reasons for not testing included limited appointment availability, cost, not feeling sick, and concern about risk of infection while at a testing facility. This study is an important first step to understand the COVID-19 risk perceptions and testing access among patients and community members living near the U.S./Mexico border in San Ysidro, California.

COVID-19 testing strategies that fail to incorporate culturally competent methods to reach traditionally underserved communities can lead to persistent transmission and increased infection rates. During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, we surveyed 179 people living in a community with high burden of COVID-19 infection about their perception of infection risk and their experiences accessing testing. Capturing and understanding these community perceptions on COVID-19 risk are vital when developing a testing program that is accessible and appropriate for the target population. In our study, we found half of survey respondents thought their risk of COVID-19 infection as low to none and over half of respondents stated they had already been tested for COVID-19. These findings provide insight to the beliefs of individuals who live and seek health care in communities with high rates of COVID-19 infection and will help guide the design and implementation of culturally tailored testing strategies.

Molecular accuracy vs antigenic speed: SARS-CoV-2 testing strategies.

The pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has hit every corner of the world faster than any infectious disease ever known. In this context, rapid and accurate testing of positive cases are essential to follow the test-trace-isolate strategy (TETRIS), which has proven to be a key approach to constrain viral spread. Here, we discuss how to interpret and combine molecular or/and antigen-based detection methods for SARS-CoV-2 as well as when they should be used. Their application can be cleverly designed as an algorithm to prevent viral dissemination according to distinct epidemiological contexts within surveillance programs.

O efeito da testagem laboratorial nos indicadores de acompanhamento da COVID-19: uma análise dos 50 países com maior número de casos / El efecto de las pruebas de laboratorio en los indicadores de seguimiento de COVID-19: un análisis de los 50 países con el mayor número de casos / The effect of laboratory testing on COVID-19 monitoring indicators: an analysis of the 50 countries with the highest number of cases

Objetivo: Analisar como a testagem da população influencia os indicadores de saúde usados para monitorar a pandemia de COVID-19 nos 50 países com maior número de casos diagnosticados. Métodos: Estudo ecológico sobre dados secundários, extraídos em 19/08/2020. Foram calculadas incidência acumulada, taxa de mortalidade, letalidade e proporção de testes positivos. Os dados foram descritos e apresentados graficamente, com o respectivo coeficiente de correlação de Spearman. Resultados: A taxa de testagem variou enormemente entre os países. A incidência acumulada e a proporção de testes positivos foram correlacionadas ao número de testes, enquanto a taxa de mortalidade e a letalidade apresentaram correlação baixa com esse indicador. Conclusão: A maioria dos países não testa o suficiente para garantir adequado monitoramento da pandemia, com reflexo na qualidade dos indicadores. A ampliação do número de testes é fundamental; porém, ela deve ser acompanhada de outras medidas, como isolamento de casos diagnosticados e rastreamento de contatos.

Objetivo: Analizar cómo el testeo poblacional influye en los indicadores de salud utilizados para monitorear la pandemia de COVID-19 en los 50 países con mayor número de casos diagnosticados. Métodos: Estudio ecológico, con datos secundarios, recogidos el 19/8/2020. Se calcularon la incidencia acumulada, la tasa de mortalidad, la letalidad y la proporción de pruebas positivas. Los datos fueron descritos y presentados gráficamente, con el respectivo Coeficiente de Correlación de Spearman. Resultados: La tasa de testeo varió enormemente entre los países. La incidencia acumulada y la proporción de pruebas positivas se correlacionaron con el número de pruebas, mientras que la tasa de mortalidad y de letalidad mostraron una baja correlación con este indicador. Conclusión: La mayoría de los países no realizan suficientes pruebas para garantizar un seguimiento adecuado de la pandemia, lo que se refleja en la calidad de los indicadores. La ampliación del número de pruebas es fundamental, y debe ir acompañada de aislamiento de casos y seguimiento de contactos.

Objective: To analyse how testing the population influences the health indicators used to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic in the 50 countries with the highest number of diagnosed cases. Methods:This was an ecological study using secondary data retrieved on 8/19/2020. Cumulative incidence, mortality rate, case-fatality rate, and proportion of positive tests were calculated. The data were described and presented graphically, with their respective Spearman Correlation Coefficients. Results: The testing rate varied enormously between countries. Cumulative incidence and the proportion of positive tests were correlated with the number of tests, while the mortality rate and case-fatality rate showed low correlation with this indicator. Conclusion: Most countries do not test enough to ensure adequate monitoring of the pandemic, and this is reflected in the quality of the indicators. Expanding the number of tests is essential, but it needs to be accompanied by other measures, such as isolation of diagnosed cases and contact tracing.

Bringing testing to the people - benefits of mobile unit HIV/syphilis testing in Lima, Peru, 2007-2009.

Mobile unit (MU) HIV testing is an alternative method of providing healthcare access. We compared demographic and behavioural characteristics, HIV testing history and HIV prevalence between participants seeking testing at a MU vs. fixed clinic (FC) in Lima, Peru. Our analysis included men and transgender women (TW) in Lima aged ≥ 18 years old seeking HIV testing at their first visit to a community-based MU or FC from October 2007 to November 2009. HIV testing history, HIV serostatus and behavioural characteristics were analysed. A large percentage of MU attendees self-identified as transgender (13%) or heterosexual (41%). MU attendees were more likely to engage in transactional sex (24% MU vs. 10% FC, p < 0.001), use alcohol/drugs during their last sexual encounter (24% MU vs. 20% FC, p < 0.01) and/or be a first-time HIV tester (48% MU vs. 41% FC, p < 0.001). MU HIV prevalence was 9% overall and 5% among first-time testers (49% in TW and 11% in men who have sex with men [MSM] first-time testers). MU testing reached large numbers of at-risk (MSM/TW) populations engaged in unsafe sexual behaviours, making MU outreach a worthy complement to FC testing. Investigation into whether MU attendees would otherwise access HIV testing is warranted to determine the impact of MU testing.