COVID-19 testing rates low among symptomatic Americans

Sick Americans appear to be passing up opportunities to get tested for coronavirus and thus are likely unknowingly spreading the infection throughout their communities, new research shows.

Among 37,000 adults across the United States who participated in a smartphone app survey between March and October 2020, nearly 2,700 reported at least one episode of fever and chills.

But according to a report published in JAMA Network Open, only a small fraction reported receiving a COVID-19 test result within seven days of the onset of illness.

At first, as tests became more accessible, the numbers improved. In early April 2020, less than 10% of survey participants reporting illness with fever received test results within a week.

By late July, that proportion had increased to 24.1%.

Throughout the summer and fall, as tests became easier to find, the number of sick participants who reported getting tested remained flat.

By late October, only 26% reported receiving a test result within a week of febrile illness.

"It's shocking to me that when people have a fever they're still not getting tested," said coauthor Dr. Mark Pletcher of the University of California, San Francisco.

"Tests are easy to come by. People might have coronavirus, might be spreading it to their friends and neighbors, and they're not getting tested."  -- Reuters