{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,3]],"date-time":"2025-04-03T04:13:00Z","timestamp":1743653580619,"version":"3.40.3"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene","issue":"4_Suppl","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]],"date-time":"2025-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1743465600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The rise in COVID-19 cases in late 2021 posed a grave threat to the public health system and the economy of Jamaica. A key pillar of controlling COVID-19 includes rapid diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals and their contacts. Hence, we evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of weekly deployment of antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) by conducting three 6-week studies within high-risk populations in Jamaica. We enrolled 1) 287 study participants (\u226518 years) from low-income communities (Study A), 2) 262 healthcare workers (Study B), and 3) 88 students (14\u201317 years) (Study C). Conducting these independent studies was challenging. Willingness to participate was generally low with fear of phlebotomy (42%), discomfort associated with nasal swab (39%), and lack of parental consent (35%) being the most common reasons students gave (Study C) for lack of participation. Furthermore, only 57%, 66%, and 88% of participants concluded their final study visit in studies A to C, respectively. Participants\u2019 commitment and external factors, such as severe weather and outbreaks of violence affected follow-up. Overall, a total of six participants (&lt;1%) tested COVID-19 Ag-RDT positive during all three studies, thus the number of infections detected were too low to draw any conclusions relating to the efficacy of the testing approach. Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in most study participants (78\u201394%), but vaccination rates differed significantly between communities. Understanding these differences in vaccination rates is important because, given the low participation and follow-up rate, mass vaccination may present a more suitable public health intervention than regular testing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4269\/ajtmh.23-0883","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,10]],"date-time":"2024-12-10T18:36:00Z","timestamp":1733855760000},"page":"53-62","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Consecutive Evaluation of Systematic Community-Based COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Testing in Three Different Populations in Jamaica during the COVID-19 Pandemic"],"prefix":"10.4269","volume":"112","author":[{"given":"David","family":"Walcott","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Novamed, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Chika","family":"Ozongwu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carl","family":"Bruce","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"},{"name":"University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alison","family":"Nicholson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Camille-Ann","family":"Thoms Rodriguez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jerome Patrick","family":"Walker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"John","family":"Lindo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Melanie","family":"Dawkins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Novamed, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samantha","family":"Johnson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Novamed, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kristen","family":"Collins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Novamed, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tresana","family":"Pearson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Novamed, Kingston, Jamaica;"},{"name":"University Hospital of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vanessa","family":"Bailey-Higgins","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Novamed, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pallavi","family":"Dani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"FIND, Geneva, Switzerland;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shaquielle","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Novamed, Kingston, Jamaica;"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anne","family":"Hoppe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"FIND, Geneva, Switzerland;"},{"name":"Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"2795","reference":[{"year":"2022","series-title":"Public Hospitals Exceed COVID-19 Bed Capacity \u2013 Ministry of Health & Wellness, Jamaica","key":"b1"},{"year":"2021","series-title":"Studies and Perspectives 114. Preliminary Overview of the Economies of the Caribbean 2021\u20132022","author":"Alleyne","key":"b2"},{"year":"2021","series-title":"Jamaica, 2021","key":"b3"},{"year":"2024","series-title":"World Bank Open Data","key":"b4"},{"year":"2016","series-title":"Brief History of Kingston, Jamaica","key":"b5"},{"year":"2022","series-title":"Population by Constituency and Parish: 2011","key":"b6"},{"year":"2016","series-title":"Urbanization Problems of Kingston, Jamaica","key":"b7"},{"year":"2020","series-title":"Conducting Baseline Studies for Seventeen Vulnerable and Volatile Communities in Support of the Community Renewal Programme Financing Agreement No.: GA 43\/JAM Community Report Trench Town","key":"b8"},{"year":"2020","series-title":"History of Political Conflict and Criminal Warfare in Jamaica","key":"b9"},{"year":"2016","series-title":"Consultancy Services for August Town Integrated Infrastructure Project: CEAC Solutions","key":"b10"},{"year":"2024","series-title":"School Boards | National Council on Education","key":"b11"},{"year":"2024","series-title":"Health Centers. 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