A Comprehensive Strategy to Lower Number of COVID-19 Tests

In this paper a strategy is proposed for accelerating COVID 19 testing, recently few models particularly based on the concept of pooling samples from multiple patients in a single test tube and then perform bulk testing have been proposed. However the efficiency of these models depends on percentage of positive COVID 19 patients which is completely missing in these studies and hence limits their practical applicability.

In this paper two already proposed models for COVID 19 testing are thoroughly analyzed using simulated data, and efficient strategies are proposed based on percentage of positive COVID-19 tests. Further insight about the pool size to be taken is also provided.

This study will help practitioners to adopt testing strategies dynamically and save millions of tests worldwide. Thus makes it possible for the implementation of expanded testing in larger population to identify asymptomatic patients and curb the spread of pandemic.

Note: Funding: The research was not funded.

Conflict of Interest: There is no competing interest in the manuscript.

Keywords: COVID-19, Coronavirus, Novel coronavirus, Accelerating COVID-19 Testing

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Assad, Assif and Wani, Muzafar Ahmad and Deep, Kusum, A Comprehensive Strategy to Lower Number of COVID-19 Tests (April 15, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3578240 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3578240