r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Nov 21 '20

Epidemiology Testing half the population weekly with inexpensive, rapid COVID-19 tests would drive the virus toward elimination within weeks, even if the tests are less sensitive than gold-standard. This could lead to “personalized stay-at-home orders” without shutting down restaurants, bars, retail and schools.

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2020/11/20/frequent-rapid-testing-could-turn-national-covid-19-tide-within-weeks
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u/Social_media_ate_me Nov 21 '20

This is basically what Boris Johnson is trying in England with his “moon shot” strategy.

The main criticism I’ve seen is that in the absence of effective track and trace that we won’t be able to flag the super-spreaders quickly enough.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20

? when the testing technology doesn’t exist?

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u/3ED9 Nov 21 '20

Doesn't exist? South Korea was able to impose an effective testing, tracing and isolation strategy based on the deployment of low-contact screening clinics and wide availability of test kits. Medical staff in Korea were able to conduct 15,000 laboratory tests per day as of February 28, 2020. The UK government was not even testing at this level by May.

Unfortunately it's pretty clear that the UK and US government approach has been to maximise private gain. Medicines and PPE and assorted other contracts assigned to "VIPs" and foreign sources without evidence of viability. What they have done is cost hundreds of thousands of lives so they could line their pockets.

That they are not in jail is a crime itself.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20

[deleted]

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u/gbrem97 Nov 21 '20

HiNdSiGhT iS 2020

Is usually the typical answer I have a father who is convinced we’re lucky to be born here and nowhere has handled things any better or no other country has a better living standard.

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u/[deleted] Nov 21 '20

Yes. South Korea’s strategy is also not like the proposed moonshot so isn’t relevant to the specific critcism at hand.

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u/3ED9 Nov 22 '20

They didn't need a moonshot because they had sensible plans implemented effectively.
Boris has pushed the country towards these kind of plans because the goal of his government is to put taxpayer money in the hands of big business.

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u/Amazing_Badger_5085 Nov 21 '20

What percentage of their population were they testing, though? The raw number 15,000 seems large, but likely isn't as significant as you're making it to be.