{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T07:07:29Z","timestamp":1771830449099,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771804800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Project Excellence of Scientific and Technological Innovation of Naval Medical Center of PLA, China","award":["21TPZY3701"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["21TPZY3701"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We acknowledge that the rapid antigen test (RAT) has several advantages, including faster results, cost-effectiveness, and suitability for on-site self-testing. However, there is still controversy regarding the performance of the RAT for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to evaluate RAT screening in a COVID-19 outbreak situation.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In this study, we developed a preemptive testing model in which a RAT was immediately followed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) during a single screening in a high-density community outbreak to rapidly prevent transmission. The RAT and RT-PCR were performed using the Flowflex\n                      <jats:sup>\u2122<\/jats:sup>\n                      SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Kit and the SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Test Kit, respectively. Furthermore, we retrospectively investigated diagnostic data from a total of 813 participants. Then, we analyzed sensitivity and specificity using RT-PCR as the reference method. In addition, we compared our data with those from another published study involving serial screening using the chi-squared test, in which 541 samples were analyzed.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our study showed that the sensitivity and specificity of the RAT were 0.82 and 1.00, respectively. We found a slightly higher false-negative rate, corresponding to decreased sensitivity, in our data compared to the previous study; however, the difference was not statistically significant. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference in the false-positive rate, corresponding to specificity, between the two studies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The current results indicate that a RAT with a single screening does not pose an additional risk of inaccurate diagnosis of COVID-19 compared to serial screening. The strategy of a preemptive RAT might be an effective emergency measure to prevent COVID-19 transmission at an early stage of an outbreak.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1764471","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T06:31:26Z","timestamp":1771828286000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Preemptive rapid antigen test as an emergency measure during coronavirus disease 2019 outbreaks"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Yaping","family":"Pan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yong","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ye","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jin","family":"Cai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University","place":["Shanghai, China"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3886","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-023-31057-1","article-title":"Seasonal trends in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and mortality in the United States and Europe","volume":"13","author":"Wiemken","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"taaa038","DOI":"10.1093\/jtm\/taaa038","article-title":"High population densities catalyse the spread of COVID-19","volume":"27","author":"Rockl\u00f6v","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Travel Med"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109890","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envres.2020.109890","article-title":"Population-level COVID-19 mortality risk for non-elderly individuals overall and for non-elderly individuals without underlying diseases in pandemic epicenters","volume":"188","author":"Ioannidis","year":"2020","journal-title":"Environ Res"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"282","DOI":"10.1177\/08901171221140641e","article-title":"The impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and children: recommendations for health promotion","volume":"37","author":"Witt","year":"2023","journal-title":"Am J Health Promot"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0237421","DOI":"10.1128\/jcm.02374-21","article-title":"Impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the analytical sensitivity of rRT-PCR assays","volume":"60","author":"Chen","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Clin Microbiol"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"Cd015618","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.Cd015618","article-title":"Laboratory-based molecular test alternatives to RT-PCR for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection","volume":"10","author":"Arevalo-Rodriguez","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"153443","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prp.2021.153443","article-title":"Recent advances and challenges of RT-PCR tests for the diagnosis of COVID-19","volume":"221","author":"Teymouri","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pathol Res Pract"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"504","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-024-09408-8","article-title":"Diagnostic performance of rapid antigen tests (RAT) for COVID-19 and factors associated with RAT-negative results among RT-PCR-positive individuals during omicron BA.2, BA.5 and XBB.1 predominance","volume":"24","author":"Tan","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3548","DOI":"10.1002\/jmv.27798","article-title":"Performance and application evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay","volume":"94","author":"Ye","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Med Virol"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4910","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-022-32663-9","article-title":"Designing isolation guidelines for COVID-19 patients with rapid antigen tests","volume":"13","author":"Jeong","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nat Commun"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1151","DOI":"10.1016\/s1473-3099(20)30457-6","article-title":"Effectiveness of isolation, testing, contact tracing, and physical distancing on reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in different settings: a mathematical modelling study","volume":"20","author":"Kucharski","year":"2020","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"Cd013705","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD013705.pub3","article-title":"Rapid, point-of-care antigen tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection","volume":"2022","author":"Dinnes","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"305","DOI":"10.1007\/s10096-021-04346-8","article-title":"Analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of rapid antigenic tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in hospital outbreak situation","volume":"41","author":"Aranaz-Andr\u00e9s","year":"2022","journal-title":"Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref14","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"472.e7","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmi.2020.11.004","article-title":"Field evaluation of a rapid antigen test (Panbio\u2122 COVID-19 ag rapid test device) for COVID-19 diagnosis in primary healthcare centres","volume":"27","author":"Albert","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"114811","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jviromet.2023.114811","article-title":"Diagnostic evaluation of Panbio\u2122 antigen rapid diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"321","author":"Boujemaa","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Virol Methods"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"385","DOI":"10.1097\/inf.0000000000003101","article-title":"Think of the children: evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test in pediatric population","volume":"40","author":"Gonz\u00e1lez-Donapetry","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pediatr Infect Dis J"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpeds.2021.01.027","article-title":"Diagnostic accuracy of the Panbio severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antigen rapid test compared with reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction testing of nasopharyngeal samples in the pediatric population","volume":"232","author":"Villaverde","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Pediatr"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"177","DOI":"10.1186\/s12985-020-01452-5","article-title":"Rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection assay in comparison with real-time RT-PCR assay for laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 in Thailand","volume":"17","author":"Chaimayo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Virol J"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104846","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcv.2021.104846","article-title":"SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test: high sensitivity to detect infectious virus","volume":"140","author":"Nordgren","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Clin Virol"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijid.2020.05.098","article-title":"Evaluation of a novel antigen-based rapid detection test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory samples","volume":"99","author":"Porte","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"n1676","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.n1676","article-title":"Diagnostic accuracy of rapid antigen tests in asymptomatic and presymptomatic close contacts of individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection: cross sectional study","volume":"374","author":"Schuit","year":"2021","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"636.e1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmi.2020.12.022","article-title":"Evaluation of a rapid antigen test (Panbio\u2122 COVID-19 ag rapid test device) for SARS-CoV-2 detection in asymptomatic close contacts of COVID-19 patients","volume":"27","author":"Torres","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"22863","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-02197-z","article-title":"Diagnostic performance of rapid antigen tests (RATs) for SARS-CoV-2 and their efficacy in monitoring the infectiousness of COVID-19 patients","volume":"11","author":"Routsias","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci Rep"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100013","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcvp.2021.100013","article-title":"Field performance evaluation of the PanBio rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay in an epidemic driven by the B.1.351 variant in the eastern cape, South Africa","volume":"1","author":"Akingba","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Clin Virol Plus"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"758","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cmi.2021.02.001","article-title":"Multicenter evaluation of the Panbio\u2122 COVID-19 rapid antigen-detection test for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection","volume":"27","author":"Merino","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Infect"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"148","DOI":"10.5334\/aogh.3126","article-title":"Simple questionnaires to improve pooling strategies for SARS-CoV-2 laboratory testing","volume":"86","author":"Schneitler","year":"2020","journal-title":"Ann Glob Health"},{"key":"ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104570","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcv.2020.104570","article-title":"Pooling of SARS-CoV-2 samples to increase molecular testing throughput","volume":"131","author":"Perchetti","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Clin Virol"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1038\/s41579-020-00461-z","article-title":"Considerations for diagnostic COVID-19 tests","volume":"19","author":"Vandenberg","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nat Rev Microbiol"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1764471\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]],"date-time":"2026-02-23T06:31:27Z","timestamp":1771828287000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1764471\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]},"references-count":29,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1764471"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1764471","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,23]]},"article-number":"1764471"}}