Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2024.63.03-04.14
Rapid Antigen Testing for COVID-19 Should Be Avoided as Screening Test at Large Sporting Events with Close Physical Contact between Competitors
Ivan Bohaček
; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zagreb University Hospital Center, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Mihovil Plečko
; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zagreb University Hospital Center, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Hrvoje Lindi
; Croatian Judo Federation, Zagreb, Croatia
Drago Plečko
; Seminar for Statistics, Department of Mathematics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Mirna Vranić Ladavac
; Public Health Institute of Istria County, Pula, Croatia
Jasmina Kučinar
; Public Health Institute of Istria County, Pula, Croatia
Tomislav Čengić
; Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Aleksandar Stojanović
; Public Health Institute of Istria County, Pula, Croatia
Domagoj Delimar
; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zagreb University Hospital Center, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Large sporting events during the pandemic are organized as ‘COVID-19 free zones’,
function under quarantine measures, and are regularly testing all participants. Recently, point-of-care
tests (POCT) for rapid detection of COVID-19 antigen were presented as a cheaper, faster, and easier-
to-perform option than reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. However,
no study confirmed the efficacy of POCT used at a large sporting event that includes close physical contact,
such as judo. An observational study was conducted that included 670 participants from 36 countries
attending two consecutive judo competitions. In total, 839 RT-PCR tests and 839 POCT tests
for COVID-19 were performed. There were 508 participants tested at one time point when entering
the venue, while 162 were tested at two time points in order to participate in both competitions. Seven
subjects had positive RT-PCR results, while 4 had positive POCT results, meaning the prevalence of
COVID-19 at the competitions was 1.04% according to the RT-PCR results. The main finding of this
study was that POCT testing proved to be an effective method in detecting true-negative results. However,
due to sensitivity that is insufficient to detect all true-positive cases, POCT should always be used
in combination with RT-PCR at large sporting events with close physical contact between competitors
in order to avoid COVID-19 outbreak.
Keywords
COVID-19; Point-of-care testing; Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; Sports; Martial arts; Mass gatherings
Hrčak ID:
333247
URI
Publication date:
31.12.2024.
Visits: 733 *