More than 63 percent of U.S. residents are waiting longer than one to two days to get their coronavirus test resultsdelays that undermine the contact tracing that could identify individuals who are contagious but show no symptoms, according to results of a new survey by researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Northwestern, and Rutgers universities.
Overall, the average wait was four days, but in some cases grew to as long as ten days or more for about 10 percent of respondents in a study. The discovery is significant in that health authorities consider rapid turnarounds essential to containing the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 150,000 in the United States.
David Lazer is university distinguished professor of political science and computer and information sciences with joint appointments in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University
Even more worrisome is that wait times do not seem to be diminishing across the country.
Given the timing of how quickly and how long someone is infectious, speed in producing reliable enough results is of the essence for COVID-19, researchers wrote.
A delay of even a day is critical given that the peak of contagiousness lasts about one week. In that time, scores more could be infected with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, if they come in contact with someone who may seem healthy, making a positive test virtually useless.
This is definitely a case of closing the barn doors after the horses have escaped, says David Lazer, university distinguished professor of political science and computer and information sciences at Northeastern, and one of the researchers who conducted the study.
Its too slow for contact tracing and isolation to be effective.
The study of 19,058 people across all 50 states and the District of Columbia was conducted between July 10 and July 26, 2020. It asked residents if they had been tested for COVID-19 and how long they waited to get the results back.
It found that 37 percent of those who had been tested by nasal swab received results within two days, with 31 percent taking more than 4 days. For individuals who responded that their last test had been in April, they had waited on average 4.2 days to get results; for those who were tested in July, it was 4.1 days.
Transmission by people who are infected but have no symptoms (either because they will never develop significant symptoms or are presymptomatic) is a key driver behind the spread of COVID-19 because such people are more likely to go about their lives without adopting measures such as quarantining to stem transmission to others.
If individuals with COVID-19 simply manifested with a purple nose before they were contagious, the disease would be easier to contain and would quickly disappear, the researchers wrote. Testing is the functional equivalent of that purple nose.
Reasons for delays in getting test results out faster invariably point to a bottleneck in national testing labs, says Lazer. They are simply overwhelmed.
One solution to the challenge could be at-home tests, which have yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. They have greater false negative rates but appear to perform better for individuals who are shedding more virus, says the study.
In terms of demographics, researchers found that Black and Hispanic people are waiting five days for their test results compared to four days for white respondents, a difference that could be explained by resources and local conditions in their communities, according to Lazer.
In separate, COVID-19-related studies, the universities researchers reported that the pandemic is resulting in higher support for voting by mail among likely voters.
The July study found 64 percent are in favor of making it easier to cast ballots by mail, and an even larger number (66 percent) say they would support giving every American the universal right to vote by mail in November, an effort opposed by President Donald Trump because of the potential for fraud.
Approval of the presidents handling of the pandemic is down 10 points since April, the latest findings show. Some Republican governors of states that reopened earlyand that have faced surges in COVID-19 infectionscontinue to see declining approval numbers, mirroring the presidents pandemic-related approval in those states.
For media inquiries, please contact media@northeastern.edu.
Read this article:
- Biohackers Are on a Secret Hunt for the Coronavirus Vaccine - Reason [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Can synthetic biology protect us from coronavirus? And the next one? - Big Think [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- When will there be a coronavirus vaccine and who will get it first? - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- These nine companies are working on coronavirus treatments or vaccines heres where things stand - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccine At Least a Year Away, But Treatment Could Be Here in Months - Newsweek [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Drug and Vaccine Studies Are Recruiting Their First Volunteers - TIME [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Brexit means coronavirus vaccine will be slower to reach the UK - The Guardian [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- First patient injected in trial of coronavirus vaccine - WCVB Boston [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is in the making But you may have to check your pockets first - Duke Chronicle [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccines and treatment: Everything you need to know - CNET [Last Updated On: March 16th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 16th, 2020]
- Coronavirus outbreak: How much testing should we do, and where are we on developing a vaccine? - Economic Times [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccines Precision Vaccinations [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- How Long Will It Take to Develop a Vaccine for Coronavirus? [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- California lab says it discovered coronavirus vaccine in 3 hours [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- Coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China: Vaccine may be ready in ... [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- Everything You Need to Know About Canine Coronavirus Vaccine [Last Updated On: March 17th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 17th, 2020]
- CSU Researchers Are Working Full-Bore On The Mysteries Of Coronavirus And A Vaccine - Colorado Public Radio [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2020]
- How soon will we have a coronavirus vaccine? The race against covid-19 - New Scientist [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2020]
- Coronavirus trial vaccine participant says he wants to help the world - CNN [Last Updated On: March 18th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 18th, 2020]
- Daily briefing: The five questions that scientists hunting a coronavirus vaccine must answer - Nature.com [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Baltimore scientists to work on third experimental coronavirus vaccine - Baltimore Sun [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- The coronavirus could kill millions of Americans: 'Do the math,' immunization specialist says - CNBC [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- We're still in the early days of coronavirus vaccine research - Axios [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Inoculating the Coronavirus Vaccine Against the Profit Pandemic - The New Republic [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Wanted: People Willing to Get Sick to Find Coronavirus Vaccine - The Wall Street Journal [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine trial, Mars rover delay and a boost for UK science - Nature.com [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Thousands of scientists are racing to find a vaccine for coronavirus. 41 possibilities are in the works. - The Californian [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- 'I Wanted To Do Something,' Says Mother Of 2 Who Is First To Test Coronavirus Vaccine - NPR [Last Updated On: March 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 21st, 2020]
- Vaccine Trials To Fight Coronavirus Offer Hope, Could Be Harbinger Of New Technology - Outlook India [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- Image of COVID-19 test kit shared as newly developed 'coronavirus vaccine' by Roche - Alt News [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is the only thing that can make life 'perfectly normal' again, former FDA commissioner says - The Week [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- Johnson & Johnson CEO on potential coronavirus vaccine: 'I think we'll have important data by the end of the year' - Fox News [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- As the First Coronavirus Vaccine Human Trials Begin, Manufacturer Is Already Preparing to Scale Production to Millions - TIME [Last Updated On: March 23rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 23rd, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is the only thing that can make life 'perfectly normal' again, former FDA commissioner says - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- This Vaccine Could Save Health Care Workers From the Coronavirus - Foreign Policy [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine must be affordable and accessible - The Conversation CA [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Over 100 drugs are in testing in the race to treat coronavirus - Axios [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- This is when the first coronavirus drugs might actually be available - BGR [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Another Day, Another Meme to Debunk: Vaccines for the Bovine Coronavirus Will Not Cure COVID-19 - Mother Jones [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be the First That Outwits Nature - Singularity Hub [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Coronavirus treatment other than vaccines may be available soon - The Jerusalem Post [Last Updated On: March 25th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 25th, 2020]
- Coronavirus: Vaccine hopes given boost as researcher says virus not mutating - The Independent [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccine Is Critical, The Infection Could Become Seasonal, Researchers Warn - NDTV News [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine from Virginia? These researchers are working on it. - The Virginian-Pilot - The Virginian-Pilot [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Scientists, under pressure, try to balance speed and safety on coronavirus vaccine research - NBCNews.com [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Should scientists infect healthy people with the coronavirus to test vaccines? - Nature.com [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Vaccines May Not Work for the Elderlyand This Lab Aims to Change That - Scientific American [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2020]
- Vaccine Development Is Risky Business. Biotechs Are Tackling The Coronavirus, Anyway - WBUR [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine: how soon will we have one? - World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2020]
- USC Working on Coronavirus Vaccine, Researchers Announce - NBC Southern California [Last Updated On: March 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: March 29th, 2020]
- Tracking the development of coronavirus treatments - NBC News [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- In the fight against coronavirus, antivirals are as important as a vaccine. Here's where the science is up to - The Conversation AU [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- Johnson & Johnson Says It Could Have Coronavirus Vaccine Ready by Early 2021 - The Daily Beast [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- Coronavirus: when will the vaccine be ready? - AS South Africa [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- A Coronavirus Vaccine Is Coming, And It Will Work - City Journal [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- With record-setting speed, vaccinemakers take their first shots at the new coronavirus - Science Magazine [Last Updated On: April 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 1st, 2020]
- CDC: Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Ready for Refusal By Anti-Vaxxers By 2021 - MedPage Today [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- The race to find a coronavirus treatment has one major obstacle: big pharma - The Guardian [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- Why A Coronavirus Vaccine May Be Years Away - The National Interest [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- The race is on for coronavirus vaccines and treatments: current R&D status - The Pharma Letter [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- Tests of potential coronavirus vaccine spur growth of virus-fighting antibodies - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: April 3rd, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 3rd, 2020]
- A 100-yr-old vaccine is being tested against the new coronavirus. Can it work? - Economic Times [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Coronavirus Live Updates: Boris Johnson Moved to Intensive Care and the U.S. Death Toll Surpasses 10,000 - The New York Times [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- When will a coronavirus shot be ready? A look at the vaccine race. - WRAL.com [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Hulk Hogan on coronavirus: Maybe we dont need a vaccine - Tampa Bay Times [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- White House advisor Fauci says coronavirus vaccine trial is on target and will be 'ultimate game changer' - CNBC [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Coronavirus vaccine will take time, so researchers are hunting for and finding promising new COVID-19 tre - OregonLive [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Chester County to begin testing for coronavirus antibodies; British prime minister moved to intensive care - The Philadelphia Inquirer [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- MAP: Where coronavirus treatments and vaccines are being tested on patients in the US - Business Insider - Business Insider [Last Updated On: April 6th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 6th, 2020]
- Coronavirus pandemic: Why it takes so long to make a vaccine - Business Today [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- A vaccine for coronavirus is the goal, but what does it take to get there? - ABC News [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Trump says there's light at the end of the tunnel with coronavirus vaccine and treatment research - CNBC [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Russia Ready to Start Testing Coronavirus Vaccines on Humans in June - The Moscow Times [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Why a coronavirus vaccine takes over a year to produce and why that is incredibly fast - World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- Pandemic expert calls for manufacturing coronavirus vaccines before they're proven to work - The Week [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- More Coronavirus Vaccine Efforts Move Toward Human Trials - The New York Times [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- A coronavirus vaccine is being developed in record time. But don't expect that technology to speed up flu vaccines yet. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2020]
- A New Front for Nationalism: The Global Battle Against a Virus - The New York Times [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2020]
- Here's how your body gains immunity to coronavirus - The Guardian [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2020]
- Pfizer aims to create coronavirus vaccine by end of 2020 - MLive.com [Last Updated On: April 10th, 2020] [Originally Added On: April 10th, 2020]