key: cord-0821051-0sovgby2
authors: Feng Tan, Li; Wei Chua, Joo
title: Mass COVID-19 Testing and Its Implications Amidst the Omicron Variant Surge
date: 2022-03-01
journal: Brain Behav Immun
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.02.029
sha: 2fdf49f0104914dec444c872700575774979a57b
doc_id: 821051
cord_uid: 0sovgby2

nan

variant has been shown to be highly transmissible but less virulent (1) . Patients are reporting less severe symptoms and fewer require oxygen support and critical care. As such despite record waves of COVID-19 cases, critical care capacity has not been severely strained unlike previous waves of the pandemic(2).

Having successfully achieved high rates of COVID-19 vaccination, many countries around the world have not tightened movement restrictions but have instead moved towards relaxing these measures (3) Singapore continues to encourage regular testing and social responsibility in a bid to manage the pandemic numbers (3) . Whilst this has helped preserve critical care capacity, the current Omicron wave has predominantly strained primary care services nationally. This is unlike previous waves that primarily taxed critical care and acute hospital services. Those testing positive for COVID-19 on home-administered test kits continue to seek primary care even if they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. There are various reasons for this including patients' interests to register their diagnosis officially in the national health system and employers' handling amidst widespread community transmission with record daily cases.

Furthermore, being registered officially allows for residents to collect free Antigen Rapid Test (ART) kits from vending machines nation-wide(5). These ART kits are useful to facilitate early de-isolation as the national protocol allows for de-isolation once one tests negative after 72 hours(5). Negative ART tests are required for entry back to schools, childcare and eldercare facilities and into high-risk areas such as hospitals, long term care facilities and large-scale events. Furthermore, registering as having contracted COVID-19 would lead to exemptions for subsequent testing for a period of 180 days, COVID-19 vaccination booster doses and testing requirements for overseas travel(5).

This has led to unprecedented attendances at primary care during this Omicron wave. Testing is advocated to encourage social responsibility to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, it has created incentives to seek official testing at primary care and has strained healthcare services for administrative, rather than medical care reasons.

In response, the government and political leaders have come out to urge employers not to request for official medical certificates to account for absenteeism due to COVID-19.

Telehealth providers and quick test centres have been rapidly scaled up to supervise selfadministered ARTs which enable COVID-19 diagnoses to be registered into the national healthcare record system.

There are many public health, logistical and administrative issues to consider when dealing with a highly transmissible but less virulent strain of SARS-2-CoV. An integrated multipronged approach -involving stakeholders from policymakers, employers, society and public leaders -is essential for a rationalised adjustment to a new variant of COVID-19 in order to minimise pandemic fatigue and societal fallouts.

COVID-19 testing demand amidst Omicron variant surge: Mass hysteria or population health need?

Experience from five Asia-Pacific countries during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Mitigation strategies and epidemiology outcomes

Exiting the pandemic: Singapore style

The challenges of containing SARS-CoV-2 via test-trace-and-isolate