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. 2020 Apr;25(16):2000508.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.16.2000508.

Strong associations and moderate predictive value of early symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020

Alma Tostmann  1 , John Bradley  2 , Teun Bousema  1   3 , Wing-Kee Yiek  1 , Minke Holwerda  1 , Chantal Bleeker-Rovers  4 , Jaap Ten Oever  4 , Corianne Meijer  1 , Janette Rahamat-Langendoen  1 , Joost Hopman  1 , Nannet van der Geest-Blankert  5 , Heiman Wertheim  1
Affiliations

Strong associations and moderate predictive value of early symptoms for SARS-CoV-2 test positivity among healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020

Alma Tostmann et al. Euro Surveill. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Healthcare workers (n = 803) with mild symptoms were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (n = 90 positive) and asked to complete a symptom questionnaire. Anosmia, muscle ache, ocular pain, general malaise, headache, extreme tiredness and fever were associated with positivity. A predictive model based on these symptoms showed moderate discriminative value (sensitivity: 91.2%; specificity: 55.6%). While our models would not justify presumptive SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis without molecular confirmation, it can contribute to targeted screening strategies.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; healthcare workers; outbreak; pandemic; prediction model; screening.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Heatmap of early symptoms reported by healthcare workers positive for SARS-CoV-2, the Netherlands, March 2020 (n = 90)
Figure 2
Figure 2
ROC curves predicting SARS-CoV-2 test results of healthcare workers (cohort 2; n = 176) based on reported symptoms in cohort 1 (n = 627), the Netherlands, March 2020
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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