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The impact of repeated mass antigen testing for COVID-19 on the prevalence of the disease

Author

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  • Martin Kahanec

    (Central European University
    Central European Labour Studies Institute (CELSI)
    University of Economics in Bratislava
    Global Labor Organization)

  • Lukáš Lafférs

    (Matej Bel University)

  • Bernhard Schmidpeter

    (Johannes Kepler University Linz
    RWI, Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
    IZA, Institute for the Study of Labor)

Abstract

In the absence of effective vaccination, mass testing and quarantining of positive cases and their contacts could help to mitigate pandemics and allow economies to stay open. We investigate the effects of repeated mass testing on the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, using data from the first ever nationwide rapid antigen testing implemented in Slovakia in autumn 2020. After the first round of testing, only districts above an ex ante unknown threshold of test positivity were re-tested. Comparing districts above and below the threshold, we provide evidence that repeated mass antigen testing can temporarily reduce the number of new infections. Our results suggest that mass testing coupled with the quarantining of positive cases and their contacts could be an effective tool in mitigating pandemics. For lasting effects, re-testing at regular intervals would likely be necessary.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Kahanec & Lukáš Lafférs & Bernhard Schmidpeter, 2021. "The impact of repeated mass antigen testing for COVID-19 on the prevalence of the disease," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(4), pages 1105-1140, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:34:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s00148-021-00856-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-021-00856-z
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    Cited by:

    1. Majerčák Jozef & Vakulenko Sergej Petrovich, 2023. "The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Population Mobility in the Czech Republic and Slovakia," LOGI – Scientific Journal on Transport and Logistics, Sciendo, vol. 14(1), pages 158-168, January.
    2. Phi-Hung Nguyen & Jung-Fa Tsai & Thanh-Tuan Dang & Ming-Hua Lin & Hong-Anh Pham & Kim-Anh Nguyen, 2021. "A Hybrid Spherical Fuzzy MCDM Approach to Prioritize Governmental Intervention Strategies against the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study from Vietnam," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(20), pages 1-26, October.
    3. Anna Adamecz-Völgyi & Ágnes Szabó-Morvai, 2021. "Confidence in public institutions is critical in containing the COVID-19 pandemic," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2126, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    4. Guilhem Cassan & Marc Sangnier, 2022. "The impact of 2020 French municipal elections on the spread of COVID-19," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(3), pages 963-988, July.
    5. Anna Godøy & Maja Weemes Grøtting & Rannveig Kaldager Hart, 2022. "Reopening schools in a context of low COVID-19 contagion: consequences for teachers, students and their parents," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(3), pages 935-961, July.
    6. Jeon, Jeonghwan & Suvitha, Krishnan & Arshad, Noreen Izza & Kalaiselvan, Samayan & Narayanamoorthy, Samayan & Ferrara, Massimiliano & Ahmadian, Ali, 2023. "A probabilistic hesitant fuzzy MCDM approach to evaluate India’s intervention strategies against the COVID-19 pandemic," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; COVID-19 policies; Antigen testing; Mass testing; Non-pharmaceutical interventions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D04 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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