ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Most healthcare personnel (HCP) reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 illness are assessed by high accuracy SARS-CoV2 assays performed in clinical laboratories, but the results of such assays typically are not available until the following day. METHODS: Observational study over 16 weeks of a rapid nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) performed at point-of-contact. The benchmark for comparison was a simultaneously obtained specimen assayed by a routine NAAT assay performed in a clinical laboratory. RESULTS: There were 577 paired rapid and routine NAAT results. Rapid test positive predictive value was 90.0% (95% CI 88.8%-91.2%), and negative predictive value was 95.2% (95% CI 93.5%-96.9%). The rapid test avoided an estimated 160 to 184 lost work shifts over four months. CONCLUSIONS: A rapid-NAAT test-based strategy proved effective in safely clearing symptomatic employees without infection for earlier return to work.