How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy

How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy

Faced with COVID-19 (Coronavirus), countries are taking drastic action based on little information. Two tests can help governments shorten and soften economically costly suppression measures while still containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: de Walque, Damien, Friedman, Jed, Gatti, Roberta, Mattoo, Aaditya
Format: Policy Note
Language:English
Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 2020
Subjects:
CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19
RECOVERY
PANDEMIC
TARGETING TESTING
ANTIBODY TEST
PCR ASSAY
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
SOCIAL RETURNS
TEST AVAILABILITY
PROCESSING CAPACITY
IMMUNITY
HEALTH WORKERS
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/766471586360658318/How-Two-Tests-Can-Help-Contain-COVID-19-and-Revive-the-Economy
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33583
id okr-10986-33583
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-335832021-09-16T17:18:36Z How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy de Walque, Damien Friedman, Jed Gatti, Roberta Mattoo, Aaditya CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 RECOVERY PANDEMIC TARGETING TESTING ANTIBODY TEST PCR ASSAY RESOURCE ALLOCATION SOCIAL RETURNS TEST AVAILABILITY PROCESSING CAPACITY IMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS Faced with COVID-19 (Coronavirus), countries are taking drastic action based on little information. Two tests can help governments shorten and soften economically costly suppression measures while still containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The first—a PCR assay—identifies people currently infected by testing for the presence of live virus in the subject. The second—an antibody test—identifies those rendered immune after being infected by searching for COVID-19-specific antibodies. The first test can help contain the disease because it facilitates the identification of infected persons, the tracing of their contacts, and isolation in the very early stages of an epidemic—or after a period of suppression, in case of a resurgent epidemic. The second can help us assess the extent of immunity in the general population or subgroups, to finetune social isolation and to manage health care resources. Wide application of the two tests could transform the battle against COVID-19 (Coronavirus), but implementing either on a large scale in developing countries presents challenges. The first test is generally available, but needs to be processed in adequately equipped laboratories with trained staff. The second test is easy to perform and can be processed quickly on the spot, but at this stage it is produced and available only on a limited basis in a few countries. This policy brief reviews the use of both tests, suggests strategies to target their use, and discusses the benefits and costs of such strategies. If PCR assay testing, together with tracing and isolation, helps reduce the duration of suppression measures by two weeks, and antibody testing allows one-fifth of the immune return to work early, the gain could be about 2 percent of national income, or about $8 billion for a country like the Philippines. Because the estimated economic benefits of the tests are likely to far outweigh the cost, the international community must help countries develop the capacity to process the first test and procure the second. 2020-04-10T19:30:01Z 2020-04-10T19:30:01Z 2020-04-08 Policy Note http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/766471586360658318/How-Two-Tests-Can-Help-Contain-COVID-19-and-Revive-the-Economy http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33583 English Research and Policy Briefs,no. 29; CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Economic & Sector Work Economic & Sector Work :: Policy Note
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19
RECOVERY
PANDEMIC
TARGETING TESTING
ANTIBODY TEST
PCR ASSAY
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
SOCIAL RETURNS
TEST AVAILABILITY
PROCESSING CAPACITY
IMMUNITY
HEALTH WORKERS
spellingShingle CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19
RECOVERY
PANDEMIC
TARGETING TESTING
ANTIBODY TEST
PCR ASSAY
RESOURCE ALLOCATION
SOCIAL RETURNS
TEST AVAILABILITY
PROCESSING CAPACITY
IMMUNITY
HEALTH WORKERS
de Walque, Damien
Friedman, Jed
Gatti, Roberta
Mattoo, Aaditya
How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy
relation Research and Policy Briefs,no. 29;
description Faced with COVID-19 (Coronavirus), countries are taking drastic action based on little information. Two tests can help governments shorten and soften economically costly suppression measures while still containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The first—a PCR assay—identifies people currently infected by testing for the presence of live virus in the subject. The second—an antibody test—identifies those rendered immune after being infected by searching for COVID-19-specific antibodies. The first test can help contain the disease because it facilitates the identification of infected persons, the tracing of their contacts, and isolation in the very early stages of an epidemic—or after a period of suppression, in case of a resurgent epidemic. The second can help us assess the extent of immunity in the general population or subgroups, to finetune social isolation and to manage health care resources. Wide application of the two tests could transform the battle against COVID-19 (Coronavirus), but implementing either on a large scale in developing countries presents challenges. The first test is generally available, but needs to be processed in adequately equipped laboratories with trained staff. The second test is easy to perform and can be processed quickly on the spot, but at this stage it is produced and available only on a limited basis in a few countries. This policy brief reviews the use of both tests, suggests strategies to target their use, and discusses the benefits and costs of such strategies. If PCR assay testing, together with tracing and isolation, helps reduce the duration of suppression measures by two weeks, and antibody testing allows one-fifth of the immune return to work early, the gain could be about 2 percent of national income, or about $8 billion for a country like the Philippines. Because the estimated economic benefits of the tests are likely to far outweigh the cost, the international community must help countries develop the capacity to process the first test and procure the second.
format Policy Note
author de Walque, Damien
Friedman, Jed
Gatti, Roberta
Mattoo, Aaditya
author_facet de Walque, Damien
Friedman, Jed
Gatti, Roberta
Mattoo, Aaditya
author_sort de Walque, Damien
title How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy
title_short How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy
title_full How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy
title_fullStr How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy
title_full_unstemmed How Two Tests Can Help Contain COVID-19 and Revive the Economy
title_sort how two tests can help contain covid-19 and revive the economy
publisher World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate 2020
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/766471586360658318/How-Two-Tests-Can-Help-Contain-COVID-19-and-Revive-the-Economy
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33583
_version_ 1764479078360940544

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