{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,17]],"date-time":"2025-11-17T14:22:34Z","timestamp":1763389354933,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,7]],"date-time":"2020-10-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1602028800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This prospective observational study evaluated the safety and feasibility of a low threshold testing process in a Triage and Test Center (TTC) during the early course of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition, we aimed to identify clinical predictors for a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) swab result. Patients underwent informal triage, standardized history taking, and physician evaluation, only where indicated. Patients were observed for 30 days. Safety was the primary outcome and was defined as a COVID-19-related 30 day re-presentation rate &lt;5% and mortality rate &lt;1% in patients presenting to the TTC. Feasibility was defined as an overruling of informal triage &lt;5%. Among 4815 presentations, 572 (11.9%) were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and 4774 were discharged. Mortality at 30-days was 0.04% (2 patients, one of which related to COVID-19). Fever (OR 2.03 [95% CI 1.70;2.42]), myalgia (OR 1.94 [1.63;2.31]), chills (OR 1.77 [1.44;2.16]), headache (OR 1.61 [1.34;1.94]), cough (OR 1.50 [1.24;1.83]), weakness (OR 1.46 [1.21;1.76]), and confusion (OR 1.39 [1.06;1.80]) were associated with test positivity. Re-presentation rate was 8% overall and 1.4% in COVID-19 related re-presentation (69 of 4774). The overruling rate of informal triage was 1.5%. According to our study, a low-threshold testing process in a TTC appeared to be safe (low re-presentation and low mortality) and is feasible (low overruling of informal triage). A COVID-19 diagnosis based on clinical parameters only does not appear possible.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm9103217","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,7]],"date-time":"2020-10-07T10:28:02Z","timestamp":1602066482000},"page":"3217","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["COVID-19 Triage and Test Center: Safety, Feasibility, and Outcomes of Low-Threshold Testing"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Gregory","family":"Mansella","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Emergency Department, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"Rueegg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Emergency Department, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andreas F.","family":"Widmer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Tschudin-Sutter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manuel","family":"Battegay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Julia","family":"Hoff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Emergency Department, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kirstine K.","family":"S\u00f8gaard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"},{"name":"Applied Microbiology Research, Department Biomedicine, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adrian","family":"Egli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"},{"name":"Applied Microbiology Research, Department Biomedicine, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bram","family":"Stieltjes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department 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Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Meienberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Outpatient Department, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Thilo","family":"Burkard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Outpatient Department, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1962-8186","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael","family":"Mayr","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Outpatient Department, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, CH-4031 Basel, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Roland","family":"Bingisser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Emergency Department, 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