COVID-19: optimizing surveillance in long-term care facilities

Throughout the world, long-term care facilities have been high-risk sites for virus spread since the emergence of the COVID-19 epidemic. In this context, the capacity for timely surveillance and control of case numbers is essential in such facilities. Scientists at the Institut Pasteur have joined forces with the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Inserm, and the National Conservatory of Arts and Trades to analyze various methods for surveillance and testing of residents at these facilities. The results of this study reveal the importance of tailoring surveillance strategies to facilities' testing capacities. A "testing cascade" strategy is more effective for facilities with adequate capacity. In contrast, a group testing strategy is more effective for those with low capacity. The results were published in BMC Medicine on December 8, 2020.

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