White House Outbreak Reveals the Danger of Test-Only Strategy to Prevent COVID-19 Infections

By Madelaine D. Oct 06 2020, 06:14 AM EDT

The outbreak from the White House sparked concerns about the danger of the test-only strategy in preventing COVID-19 infections, the WEAA reported.

The spread of the coronavirus among White House officials highlighted the harmful effects of relying on testing to prevent outbreaks, according to experts.

"I think the takeaway is clear: Testing alone is not a sufficient strategy to prevent the spread of the virus," said Daniel Green, an assistant professor of cell biology and pathology at Columbia University.

Green added that a negative test does not give free license to waive all other safety measures.

Trump and other White House officials underwent regular screening to protect them against the coronavirus. However, suggested measures to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 were shunned like mask-wearing and staying at least six feet apart from other people.

White House Outbreak Reveals the Danger of Test-Only Strategy to Prevent COVID-19 Infections — President Trump Tests Positive For Coronavirus WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 02: A view of the White House on Friday morning October 2, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for coronavirus. Drew Angerer

Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Health Security, said that the White House's coronavirus outbreak is a sad reflection that routine testing is not an alternative for wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

Nuzzo added that no test is 100 percent accurate. Because of this, Nuzzo noted that anyone who tests negative for the virus is not guaranteed to be free of infection. Even when people are regularly tested, it is vital to use different approaches in reducing the likelihood of transmission.

"Maintaining distance from others, choosing to stay in well-ventilated spaces, and wearing a mask are all vital safety measures that must also be used," she added.

Other experts agreed that people exposed to a known positive case must immediately have self-quarantine for 14 days.

Kelly Wroblewski, director of infectious disease programs, said that relying on a test-only strategy to fight the COVID-19 pandemic would not be successful. Wroblewski noted that the White House was using a test-only approach.

To effectively fight COVID-19, Wroblewski said it is essential to combine frequent testing with hand washing, social distancing, mask-wearing, and quarantining when you have a positive test or close contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus.

The rapid testing used at the White House is prone to producing inaccurate results. Green said that false negatives occur in the early stages of infection. Rapid tests, such as those used in the White House, are more likely to false-negative results because those rapid tests are less sensitive than the laboratory-based PCR tests.

The White House outbreak is increasingly crucial as COVID-19 testing becomes widely available, and schools, workplaces, and elsewhere are starting to use testing to try to protect people. The new generation of COVID-19 tests, which are more affordable and produce more quick results, appear to be less reliable than the genetic PCR tests that have been mostly used so far.

Steven Woloshin, a researcher and physician at the Dartmouth Institute who has studied the reliability of coronavirus tests, said it is alarming that after all these months into the pandemic, "we do not have a better evidence base to guide public health policy."

To determine the best way to use testing, research is urgently needed, other experts said.