Do we really need to invoke heroic measures for early SARS-CoV-2 outbreak detection?

Abstract

Over half of the world’s population was locked down due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic [1]. Countries are gradually easing lock-down restrictions, allowing citizens to recover their new “normal life”, while authorities prepare for a possible second wave.

In these times of uncertainty, government policies around the world are based on model assumptions rather on real-time evidence, as traditional epidemiological tools face important logistic and feasibility challenges. The importance of asymptomatic carriers in the epidemiology of COVID-19 is driving scientists to consider massive testing in order to promptly detect re-emergence of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in communities. For example, a “Dunkirk spirit” is called as the only way to perform 10 million PCR tests per day in the United Kingdom, so that every citizen is voluntarily weekly tested [2]. But if people who test positive know they will be put back into quarantine, the voluntariness may be a pitfall of this ambitious plan.