Dynamics of RT-qPCR SARS-CoV-2 Detection Rates Prior to and After Symptom Onset

Effective RT-qPCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 is essential for treatment, surveillance and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent meta-analysis 1 suggested that testing prior to the onset of symptoms is likely to miss the majority of infected individuals. These findings cast severe doubts on the effectiveness of mass screening efforts intended to detect SARS-CoV-2 prior to the onset of symptoms and decrease community transmissions from pre-/asymptomatic individuals 2–4 . However, alternative analyses and additional data described herein refine these estimates and suggest that many SARS-CoV-2 infections could potentially be detected prior to symptom onset.