Strong associations and moderate predictive value of early symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020.
Tostmann, Alma;
Bradley, John;
Bousema, Teun;
Yiek, Wing-Kee;
Holwerda, Minke;
Bleeker-Rovers, Chantal;
Ten Oever, Jaap;
Meijer, Corianne;
Rahamat-Langendoen, Janette;
Hopman, Joost;
+2 more...van der Geest-Blankert, Nannet;
Wertheim, Heiman;
(2020)
Strong associations and moderate predictive value of early symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020.
Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 25 (16).
pp. 2-7.
ISSN 1025-496X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.16.2000508
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Healthcare workers (n = 803) with mild symptoms were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (n = 90 positive) and asked to complete a symptom questionnaire. Anosmia, muscle ache, ocular pain, general malaise, headache, extreme tiredness and fever were associated with positivity. A predictive model based on these symptoms showed moderate discriminative value (sensitivity: 91.2%; specificity: 55.6%). While our models would not justify presumptive SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis without molecular confirmation, it can contribute to targeted screening strategies.