ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING AT POINTS OF ENTRY; PAKISTAN COVID-19 POINT OF ENTRY (POE) ANALYSIS

INTRO: The outbreak of COVID-19 has affected global mobility through various travel disruptions and restrictions. In lieu of the increased cases globally and variants of concerns escaping immunity, the government of Pakistan as an immediate response and as part of a risk mitigation strategy implemented a revised inbound passenger policy to filter the importation of virus through on arrival Rapid antigen Testing (RAT) on all the operational Airports from 5th May 2021. This study was done to analyze the effectiveness of the RAT testing at the points of entry (airports) across Pakistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted and 1700 RAT positive cases were enrolled from 5 th May 2021 to 5 th November 2021 on all operational eight airports. RAT-positive nasopharyngeal samples were confirmed by Real-Time PCR for SARS-CoV-2. FINDINGS: Out of the total l700 RAT positive cases enrolled in this study, the prevalence of SARS CoV-2 among inbound passengers during the period from 5 th May-5 th November 2021 was 0.3%. Among selected subjects, 72% were males, 26 % were females and 2% were children. The mean age was 45±10.6 years (range 6–65). The RT PCR analysis was reactive for SARS-CoV-2 in 95% of the cases. All the confirmed cases were shifted to state-maintained quarantine facilities as per policy. CONCLUSION: There is a dire need for rapid SARS COV 2 diagnostics in a limited time frame. In resource- limited countries like Pakistan RAT kits can serve as an effective tool for disease mapping as part of a comprehensive mitigation strategy and surveillance of the entry points for the filtration of imported cases to prevent further disease spread.