RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The use of various diagnostic techniques is increasingly common in pandemic scenarios. It is important to update evaluations of their metric properties in diï¬erent times and settings. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate metric properties of a SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test relative to a reference standard. METHODS: We carried out a prospective evaluation study of the SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test as compared to the RT-PCR test, which is considered the reference standard. Our sample was comprised of 778 individuals, and we calculated sensitiv- ity, speciï¬city, predictive values, prevalence and validity indices. RESULTS: Of the total 778 samples, 70 were true positives, 658 were true negatives, and 27 were false negatives when compared to RT-PCR test results. We obtained a sensitivity of 75.3% (95% CI = 65.96-84.50); a speciï¬city of 96.1% (95% CI = 94.53-97.59); 72.2% for positive predictive value, and 96.6% for negative predictive value. The estimated preva- lence was 11.9% and the validity index was 93.6%. CONCLUSIONS: The index values validate use of the SARS- CoV-2 rapid antigen test until prevalence falls below 2.5%, since as SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence decreases, so does the predictive value of the PCR result. The use of the SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test on the Isle of Youth, Cuba, was decisive in the pandemic's clinical- epidemiological management.