Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Community Testing Team in Scotland: A 14-day review, 6 to 20 February 2020

Euro Surveill. 2020 Mar;25(12):2000217. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.12.2000217.

Abstract

In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, we set up a team to carry out sampling in the community. This enabled individuals to remain in self-isolation in their own homes and to prevent healthcare settings and services from being overwhelmed by admissions for sampling of suspected cases. There is evidence that this is a cost effective, safe and necessary service to complement COVID-19 testing in hospitals.

Keywords: COVID-19; community; containment; sampling.

MeSH terms

  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Betacoronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Testing
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques*
  • Community Health Services / organization & administration
  • Coronavirus / isolation & purification*
  • Coronavirus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections / transmission
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Disease Outbreaks / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Mass Screening / methods*
  • Pandemics
  • Patient Isolation
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / transmission
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology
  • Public Health Practice
  • Quarantine
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Scotland / epidemiology
  • Time Factors