Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2021 Jul;174(7):1014-1015.
doi: 10.7326/M21-1667. Epub 2021 Apr 27.

Utility of Rapid Antigen Tests in Nursing Homes

Jennifer B Nuzzo  1 , Gigi Kwik Gronvall  2
Affiliations
Editorial

Utility of Rapid Antigen Tests in Nursing Homes

Jennifer B Nuzzo et al. Ann Intern Med. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

In their article, McKay and colleagues show that rapid antigen tests have utility in nursing home settings to screen nursing home residents and staff. The editorialists discuss how these findings provide additional support to the idea that antigen testing could be useful to identify people who are likely to be contagious and may transmit SARS-CoV-2, and that rapid antigen tests can be a useful screening tool to limit infectious outbreaks.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: Authors have reported no disclosures of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M21-1667.

Comment on

  • Performance Evaluation of Serial SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Testing During a Nursing Home Outbreak.
    McKay SL, Tobolowsky FA, Moritz ED, Hatfield KM, Bhatnagar A, LaVoie SP, Jackson DA, Lecy KD, Bryant-Genevier J, Campbell D, Freeman B, Gilbert SE, Folster JM, Medrzycki M, Shewmaker PL, Bankamp B, Radford KW, Anderson R, Bowen MD, Negley J, Reddy SC, Jernigan JA, Brown AC, McDonald LC, Kutty PK; CDC Infection Prevention and Control Team and the CDC COVID-19 Surge Laboratory Group. McKay SL, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2021 Jul;174(7):945-951. doi: 10.7326/M21-0422. Epub 2021 Apr 27. Ann Intern Med. 2021. PMID: 33900791 Free PMC article.

References

    1. Yourish K, Lai KKR, Ivory D, et al. One-third of all U.S. coronavirus deaths are nursing home residents or workers. New York Times. Updated 11 May 2020. Accessed at www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/09/us/coronavirus-cases-nursing-home... on 9 April 2021.
    1. Gorges RJ , Konetzka RT . Factors associated with racial differences in deaths among nursing home residents with COVID-19 infection in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4:e2037431. [PMID: 33566110] doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37431 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bigelow BF , Tang O , Barshick B , et al. Outcomes of universal COVID-19 testing following detection of incident cases in 11 long-term care facilities. JAMA Intern Med. 2021;181:127-129. [PMID: 32662818] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.3738 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. McKay SL, Tobolowsky FA, Moritz ED, et al. Performance evaluation of serial SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen testing during a nursing home outbreak. Ann Intern Med. 27 April 2020. [Epub ahead of print]. doi:10.7326/M21-0422 - PMC - PubMed
    1. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Trump administration announces initiative for more and faster COVID-19 testing in nursing homes. 14 July 2020. Accessed at www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/07/14/trump-administration-announces-initiat... on 9 April 2021.