Point-of-Care Antigen Test for SARS-CoV-2 in Asymptomatic College Students

Emerg Infect Dis. 2021;27(10):2662-2665. doi: 10.3201/eid2710.210080. Epub 2021 Aug 16.

Abstract

We used the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card to screen 1,540 asymptomatic college students for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in a low-prevalence setting. Compared with reverse transcription PCR, BinaxNOW showed 20% overall sensitivity; among participants with culturable virus, sensitivity was 60%. BinaxNOW provides point-of-care screening but misses many infections.

Keywords: 2019 novel coronavirus disease; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; adolescents; antigen testing; asymptomatic; colleges; coronavirus disease; coronaviruses; institutions of higher education; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; universities; viruses; young adults; zoonoses.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Point-of-Care Systems
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Students