Assessment of the epidemiology and motivation for carrying out the rapid antigen test during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 infection presents a broad spectrum, and as most patients are asymptomatic, diagnosis and isolation are challenging. Rapid antigen tests (TR-Ag) have emerged as essential tools to contain the spread of COVID-19 by quickly identifying the infection. To analyze the results of SARS-CoV-2 TR-Ag from June to December 2020 and to identify the main reasons that led to the search for testing. Observational, quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study evaluating pretest questionnaires in a cohort of individuals in Belo Horizonte/MG. 2513 samples with reactive (16.3%) and non-reactive (83.7%) results for SARS-CoV-2 were included. Females were the most prevalent among the reactive results (53.5%), and the mean age at which the test was performed was 39.7 years. The primary motivator for testing was contact with possible suspects of COVID-19 (63.3% of the reagents), and the most reported symptom was dry cough (60.1% of the reagents). In the period surveyed, November was the month with the highest demand for TR-Ag, while December had the highest percentage of reactive results for SARS-CoV-2. Our results showed that the main motivators for performing the TR-Ag, which are the contact with individuals suspected of COVID-19 infection and cough, are related to the high number of reactive results. The awareness of health professionals about the need for testing in the face of these factors can contribute to expanding the diagnosis and immediate initiation of measures to contain viral transmission.