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Article

Time Lag between COVID-19 Diagnosis and Symptoms Onset for Different Population Groups: Evidence That Self-Testing in Schools Was Associated with Timely Diagnosis among Children

by
Kassiani Mellou
1,*,
Spyros Sapounas
1,
Ioannis Panagoulias
1,
Maria Gkova
1,
Kalliopi Papadima
1,
Anastasia Andreopoulou
1,
Danai Kalotychou
1,
Michalis Chatzopoulos
1,
Kassiani Gkolfinopoulou
1,
Vassiliki Papaevangelou
2,
Sotirios Tsiodras
3,
Georgios Panagiotakopoulos
1,
Theoklis Zaoutis
1 and
Dimitrios Paraskevis
1
1
National Public Health Organization, 15123 Athens, Greece
2
Third Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Attikon, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece
3
34th Department of Internal Medicine, Attikon University Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Life 2022, 12(9), 1305; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091305
Submission received: 28 July 2022 / Revised: 16 August 2022 / Accepted: 17 August 2022 / Published: 25 August 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Epidemiology)
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Abstract

Early identification of COVID-19 cases has been vital for reducing transmission and enabling treatment. In Greece, in autumn 2021 when Delta was the predominant circulating variant, unvaccinated citizens had to be tested before attending activities, and self-testing was required twice a week for students (5–17 years). Here, we describe the time of diagnosis by age group and possible exposure to assess testing strategies (September to November 2021). Information on the presence of symptoms at the time of diagnosis was available for 69,298 cases; 24,855 (36%) were asymptomatic or tested the same day as onset (early diagnosis), 21,310 (31%) reported testing one day after, and 23,133 (33%) did so two or more days after the onset of symptoms. The median lag was 2 days (1–14). Early diagnosis significantly differed among age groups (p-value < 0.001) and was higher among children. For every one-year increase of age, the odds of an early diagnosis were reduced by 1%. Cases exposed during training activities or in settings such as accommodation centers and hospitals were more frequently diagnosed early. The percentage of persons having a positive self-test before a rapid test/PCR diagnosis ranged from 7% in the age group of 60 years and above to 86% in the age group of 5–17 years. The provision of self-tests in schools and increased testing in closed settings led to an earlier diagnosis and probably to a decreased transmission of the virus in the period during which Delta was the predominant variant in Greece. However, more effort is needed for early diagnosis of adults in the community, especially after the onset of symptoms.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; testing; self-test; diagnosis COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; testing; self-test; diagnosis

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Mellou, K.; Sapounas, S.; Panagoulias, I.; Gkova, M.; Papadima, K.; Andreopoulou, A.; Kalotychou, D.; Chatzopoulos, M.; Gkolfinopoulou, K.; Papaevangelou, V.; et al. Time Lag between COVID-19 Diagnosis and Symptoms Onset for Different Population Groups: Evidence That Self-Testing in Schools Was Associated with Timely Diagnosis among Children. Life 2022, 12, 1305. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091305

AMA Style

Mellou K, Sapounas S, Panagoulias I, Gkova M, Papadima K, Andreopoulou A, Kalotychou D, Chatzopoulos M, Gkolfinopoulou K, Papaevangelou V, et al. Time Lag between COVID-19 Diagnosis and Symptoms Onset for Different Population Groups: Evidence That Self-Testing in Schools Was Associated with Timely Diagnosis among Children. Life. 2022; 12(9):1305. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091305

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mellou, Kassiani, Spyros Sapounas, Ioannis Panagoulias, Maria Gkova, Kalliopi Papadima, Anastasia Andreopoulou, Danai Kalotychou, Michalis Chatzopoulos, Kassiani Gkolfinopoulou, Vassiliki Papaevangelou, and et al. 2022. "Time Lag between COVID-19 Diagnosis and Symptoms Onset for Different Population Groups: Evidence That Self-Testing in Schools Was Associated with Timely Diagnosis among Children" Life 12, no. 9: 1305. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091305

APA Style

Mellou, K., Sapounas, S., Panagoulias, I., Gkova, M., Papadima, K., Andreopoulou, A., Kalotychou, D., Chatzopoulos, M., Gkolfinopoulou, K., Papaevangelou, V., Tsiodras, S., Panagiotakopoulos, G., Zaoutis, T., & Paraskevis, D. (2022). Time Lag between COVID-19 Diagnosis and Symptoms Onset for Different Population Groups: Evidence That Self-Testing in Schools Was Associated with Timely Diagnosis among Children. Life, 12(9), 1305. https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091305

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