Mass Testing—An Underexplored Strategy for COVID-19 Control
Diagram of controlling the transmission of COVID-19 with contact tracing and mass testing
Mass testing is an intervention strategy for COVID-19 control in the general population regardless of the presentation of symptoms. It involves collecting nasal or pharyngeal swabs for DNA testing, often using the polymerase chain reaction method. Countries that have used mass testing consider it to be a viable strategy to control the COVID-19 pandemic as the strategy can potentially identify and isolate asymptomatic cases in the early stages of infection and reduce the risk of virus transmission.
