Abstract Background ‘Classic’ symptoms (cough, fever, loss of taste/smell) prompt SARS-CoV-2 PCR-testing in the UK. Studies have assessed the ability of different symptoms to identify infection, but few have compared symptoms over time (reflecting variants) and by vaccination status. Methods Using the COVID-19 Infection Survey, sampling households across the UK, we compared symptoms in PCR-positives vs. PCR-negatives, evaluating sensitivity of combinations of 12 symptoms (percentage symptomatic PCR-positives reporting specific symptoms) and tests per case (TPC) (PCR-positives or PCR-negatives reporting specific symptoms/ PCR-positives reporting specific symptoms). Results Between April 2020 and August 2021, 27,869 SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive episodes occurred in 27,692 participants (median 42 years), of whom 13,427 (48%) self-reported symptoms (“symptomatic PCR-positives”). The comparator comprised 3,806,692 test-negative visits (457,215 participants); 130,612 (3%) self-reported symptoms (“symptomatic PCR-negatives”). Symptom reporting in PCR-positives varied by age, sex, and ethnicity, and over time, reflecting changes in prevalence of viral variants, incidental changes (e.g. seasonal pathogens (with sore throat increasing in PCR-positives and PCR-negatives from April 2021), schools re-opening) and vaccination roll-out. After May-2021 when Delta emerged, headache and fever substantially increased in PCR-positives, but not PCR-negatives. Sensitivity of symptom-based detection increased from 74% using ‘classic’ symptoms, to 81% adding fatigue/weakness, and 90% including all eight additional symptoms. However, this increased TPC from 4.6 to 5.3 to 8.7. Conclusions Expanded symptom combinations may provide modest benefits for sensitivity of PCR-based case detection, but this will vary between settings and over time, and increases tests/case. Large-scale changes to targeted PCR-testing approaches require careful evaluation given substantial resource and infrastructure implications.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Symptoms, Community, 【초록키워드】 vaccination, Infection, Delta, Sex, Symptom, cough, headache, variants, Prevalence, sensitivity, Ethnicity, Schools, Viral, pathogen, COVID-19 infection, symptomatic, Fever, Households, Viral variants, age, Pathogens, School, resource, change, Combination, classic, Vaccination Status, sore throat, Self-reported symptoms, Implications, PCR-positive, combinations, comparator, participant, weakness, PCR-negative, COVID-19 Infection Survey, approach, benefit, self-reported symptom, Result, identify, occurred, eight, median, increase, changes in, 【제목키워드】 General population, SARS-CoV-2 positivity,