The impact of repeated mass antigen testing for COVID-19 on the prevalence of the disease

Martin Kahanec, Lukáš Lafférs, Bernhard Schmidpeter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

In the absence of effective vaccination, mass testing and quarantining of positive cases and their contacts could help to mitigate pandemics and allow economies to stay open. We investigate the effects of repeated mass testing on the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, using data from the first ever nationwide rapid antigen testing implemented in Slovakia in autumn 2020. After the first round of testing, only districts above an ex ante unknown threshold of test positivity were re-tested. Comparing districts above and below the threshold, we provide evidence that repeated mass antigen testing can temporarily reduce the number of new infections. Our results suggest that mass testing coupled with the quarantining of positive cases and their contacts could be an effective tool in mitigating pandemics. For lasting effects, re-testing at regular intervals would likely be necessary.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1105-1140
Number of pages36
JournalJournal of Population Economics
Volume34
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2021

Keywords

  • Antigen testing
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 policies
  • Mass testing
  • Non-pharmaceutical interventions

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The impact of repeated mass antigen testing for COVID-19 on the prevalence of the disease'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this