Calculations
The COVID-19 Testing Impact Calculator uses the below default assumptions for all calculations.
- Number of days a person is contagious is assumed to be 10 days.
- The percentage of the US populations that develops COVID-19 symptoms after becoming infected, also known as Symptomatic is assumed to be 60%.
- The time an individual person must wait to be sampled is assumed as 15 minutes.
- The maximum number of days between testing is assumed as 30 days.
Test Groups
The assumptions for all Test Groups are exemplary tests. The default assumptions do not represent any one individual test.
The COVID-19 Testing Impact Calculator provides education and guidance for Asymptomatic Screening of an organization.
If tests are used for Asymptomatic Screening protocols, most tests are currently used off-label and under practitioner guidance. As new tests are approved, and new studies are available, website content will be updated.
Currently, there is limited to no data available for Asymptomatic Screening Test performance. The ‘default’ chosen for each test group is a conservative estimate based upon consultation with industry experts.
Test Sensitivity & Test Specificity
Lower sensitivity may result in more false negatives. The test is more likely to miss a true infection by producing a negative test result in people who are actually infected with COVID-19.
Recommendation:
- If you receive a negative test result, but are symptomatic, then consider quarantining and obtain a confirmatory test.
Lower specificity may result in more false positives. If you receive a positive result, it indicates that you are likely to be infected with COVID-19, particularly if you are tested during the first week of infection and are symptomatic.
Recommendations:
- If you receive a positive result, you are likely to be infected with COVID-19 if you are symptomatic.
- If you receive a positive result when using a test with specificity below 99% and are not symptomatic (asymptomatic), the likelihood of false positives exists. You should consider a confirmatory molecular PCR test.