Universal versus targeted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) arrival antigen testing on subsequent COVID-19 infections in military trainees

Marquise D Westbrook; James Aden; John W Kieffer; Erin L Winkler; Angela B Osuna; Theresa M Casey; Dianne N Frankel; John L Kiley; Heather C Yun; Joseph E Marcus

doi:10.1017/ash.2024.365

Universal versus targeted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) arrival antigen testing on subsequent COVID-19 infections in military trainees

Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2024 Oct 22;4(1):e182. doi: 10.1017/ash.2024.365. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Marquise D Westbrook¹, James Aden², John W Kieffer³, Erin L Winkler³, Angela B Osuna³, Theresa M Casey³, Dianne N Frankel⁴, John L Kiley^{1

5}, Heather C Yun^{1

5}, Joseph E Marcus^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Infectious Diseases Service, Department of Medicine, Brook Army Medical Center, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA.
² Biostatistics Department, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, TX, USA.
³ Trainee Health Surveillance, 559 Medical Group, JBSA-Lackland, TX, USA.
⁴ USAFRICOM HQ, Office of the Command Surgeon, Stuttgart, GE, USA.
⁵ Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Abstract

In this retrospective cohort study of military trainees, symptomatic-only coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) arrival antigen testing decreased isolation requirements without increasing secondary cases compared to universal antigen testing. Symptomatic-only arrival antigen testing is a feasible alternative for individuals entering a congregant setting with a high risk of COVID-19 transmission.