Schrödinger’s Worker: Are They Positive or Negative for SARS-CoV-2?

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 17; no. 17; p. 6316
• Main Authors: Meloni, Federico, Campagna, Marcello, Restivo, Angelo, Cocco, Pierluigi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 31.08.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Asymptomatic; Betacoronavirus; Clinical Laboratory Techniques - standards; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Health care; Humans; Hygiene; Infections; Masks; Medical personnel; Occupational Health; Pandemics; Personal protective equipment; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnosis; Public health; SARS-CoV-2; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Viewpoint; Workers; Workplace; United Kingdom > UK; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; Predictive value of tests; occupational health; public health; sensitivity and specificity; serologic tests
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176316

In these days of 2020, tests for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, and their use in the context of health surveillance of workers, are becoming popular. Nevertheless, their sensitivity and specificity could vary on the basis of the type of test used and on the moment of infection of the subject tested. The aim of this viewpoint paper is to make employers, workers, occupational physicians, and public health specialists think about the limits of diagnostic tests currently available, and the possible implication related to the erroneous and incautious assignment of “immunity passports” or “risk-free certificates” to workers during screening campaigns in workplaces.