
PMID- 35457587
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20220426
LR  - 20220716
IS  - 1660-4601 (Electronic)
IS  - 1661-7827 (Print)
IS  - 1660-4601 (Linking)
VI  - 19
IP  - 8
DP  - 2022 Apr 13
TI  - Free PoC Testing for SARS-CoV-2 in Germany: Factors Expanding Access to Various 
      Communities in a Medium-Sized City.
LID - 10.3390/ijerph19084721 [doi]
LID - 4721
AB  - During the third wave of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic in 
      Germany, free SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) 
      point-of-care (PoC) antigen tests were offered to citizens at least once a week 
      to prevent spreading by asymptomatic infected individuals. This study 
      investigated user groups, timing, frequency, and test center locations in a 
      typical medium-sized European city. We analyzed 27,369 pseudonymized datasets 
      from eight centers over 12 weeks. Those were evaluated according to age, 
      residence, appointment, and potential repeated test occurrence. The centers were 
      visited by different groups; some centers were preferred by a predominantly 
      younger demographic, whereas a mobile option attracted an older age group by 
      reaching districts with few other testing possibilities. Elderly individuals were 
      tested more spontaneously than younger individuals, and a test center at a 'park 
      and ride' had more spontaneous visitors from outside of the city compared to 
      other test locations. Only a small proportion of less than 4% came for testing 
      more than five times. To preferably address many people for voluntary antigen 
      testing, it is crucial to offer different test opportunities accounting for 
      individual behavioral patterns, despite this requiring more complex and costly 
      design than conventional forms.
FAU - Witte, Anna Kristina
AU  - Witte AK
AD  - HTK Hygiene Technologie Kompetenzzentrum GmbH, Heinrichstr. 6, 96047 Bamberg, 
      Germany.
FAU - Grosch, Janina
AU  - Grosch J
AD  - HTK Hygiene Technologie Kompetenzzentrum GmbH, Heinrichstr. 6, 96047 Bamberg, 
      Germany.
FAU - Conrady, Beate
AU  - Conrady B
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0001-8554-5963
AD  - Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical 
      Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
AD  - Complexity Science Hub Vienna, 1080 Vienna, Austria.
FAU - Schomakers, Lena
AU  - Schomakers L
AD  - HTK Hygiene Technologie Kompetenzzentrum GmbH, Heinrichstr. 6, 96047 Bamberg, 
      Germany.
FAU - Grohmann, Marcus
AU  - Grohmann M
AD  - HTK Hygiene Technologie Kompetenzzentrum GmbH, Heinrichstr. 6, 96047 Bamberg, 
      Germany.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20220413
PL  - Switzerland
TA  - Int J Environ Res Public Health
JT  - International journal of environmental research and public health
JID - 101238455
SB  - IM
MH  - Aged
MH  - *COVID-19/diagnosis/epidemiology
MH  - Germany/epidemiology
MH  - Humans
MH  - Pandemics
MH  - Point-of-Care Testing
MH  - *SARS-CoV-2
PMC - PMC9027734
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Burgertest
OT  - COVID-19 pandemic
OT  - German citizen testing
OT  - SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care antigen tests
OT  - testing behavior
OT  - testing strategy
COIS- The authors A.K.W., J.G., L.S. and M.G. are employed by HTK Hygiene Technologie 
      Kompetenzzentrum GmbH. B.C. declares no conflict of interest.
EDAT- 2022/04/24 06:00
MHDA- 2022/04/27 06:00
PMCR- 2022/04/13
CRDT- 2022/04/23 01:13
PHST- 2022/03/09 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2022/04/07 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2022/04/12 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2022/04/23 01:13 [entrez]
PHST- 2022/04/24 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2022/04/27 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2022/04/13 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - ijerph19084721 [pii]
AID - ijerph-19-04721 [pii]
AID - 10.3390/ijerph19084721 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Apr 13;19(8):4721. doi: 
      10.3390/ijerph19084721.
