Serial testing in prison

Among roughly 100 people incarcerated or detained in a Louisiana prison who were quarantined after potential SARS-CoV-2 exposure, 72% ultimately tested positive in serial testing. Roughly a quarter had at least one early test that was negative. Nearly half of those who tested positive were asymptomatic at the time of testing. The authors write in MMWR: “These findings suggest ongoing transmission among quarantined persons living in congregate settings; therefore, serial testing of contacts of persons with COVID-19 in correctional and detention facilities can identify asymptomatic and presymptomatic persons who would be missed through symptom screening alone.”

Serial testing in prisons study in MMWR