April 15, 2020

expert comment on the government’s 5 pillar testing strategy and how this data is reported

Comment on the government’s 5 pillar testing strategy and how this data is reported.

Prof Sheila Bird, Formerly Programme Leader, MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, said:

“Today, we learn that an important additional pillar is to be added to the government’s testing strategy: swab-testing (the have I got it test) for residents of care homes, especially on their return to the home following hospitalisation.

“Currently there are three groups of people who are tested for virus presence as part of Pillar 1 in the government’s testing strategy: hospitalised patients, the most critical workers and those in critical worker’s households. I think it is important that these three groups are differentiated when the test results are reported. Similarly, within Pillar 2, we should distinguish whether the person being swabbed is a key worker or a member of a quarantined key worker’s household. This separation of the data is needed because the rates of those who test positive may not be identical for different groups and we need accurate data to study this virus.

“A change in how data are collected could be introduced so that the different groups in each pillar have their data recorded separately. Just 8 items of information are needed, as follows:

1. sample-date

2. Which pillar for swab-testing

3. Critical/key worker or a member of their household;

4. Gender of the person being swabbed;

5. Age-group of the person being swabbed (under 11 years, 12-17 years; 18-24 years, 25-44 years, 45-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, 80+ years)

6. Household-size (number of adults; number of children);

7.  Subjective assessment of the person being tested as to whether they have COVID-19 (on a scale from 1 = very unlikely to be COVID-19 to 3 = possible COVID-19 to 5 = highly likely to be COVID-19; use code 9 if unanswered);

8. Is the person being swabbed a qualified healthcare worker?

“A subjective assessment about likelihood of the person having COVID can easily be asked for and it is valuable for comparing with the results of swab-testing. This could be useful data for studying the proportion of people who are infected with or without symptoms, and also how good people are at assessing their own/others symptoms. Of course, among our most critical workers, healthcare workers may be particularly adept in making this self-assessment. Hence, the 8^th item of information records if the person being swabbed is a qualified healthcare worker.”

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-scaling-up-testing-programmes

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink: www.sciencemediacentre.org/tag/covid-19

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