ArticleeLife2020
Estimated effectiveness of symptom and risk screening to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Article in eLife, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04627467 (Prophylaxis With Chloroquine in Health Personnel Exposed to Infection With Coronavirus Disease 2019), which is not on this map. Cited by 180 papers, 11 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Prophylaxis With Chloroquine in Health Personnel Exposed to Infection With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Who cites it
180 citing papers in PubMed, 11 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 428 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness of mouthwashes on reducing SARS-CoV-2 viral load in oral cavity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC oral health · 2023Pooled it
- Incubation Period of COVID-19 Caused by Unique SARS-CoV-2 Strains: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2022Pooled it
- Lessons from past pandemics: a systematic review of evidence-based, cost-effective interventions to suppress COVID-19.Systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators of childhood COVID-19 vaccination among parents: A systematic review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Public health effects of travel-related policies on the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods systematic review.The Journal of infection · 2021Pooled it
- The incubation period during the pandemic of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- International travel-related control measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid review.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- How do we share data in COVID-19 research? A systematic review of COVID-19 datasets in PubMed Central Articles.Briefings in bioinformatics · 2021Pooled it
- Serial interval and incubation period of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Pooled it
- Universal screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection: a rapid review.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Automated Detection of COVID-19 Using Machine Learning Analysis of White Blood Cell Flow Cytometry Images.Cureus · 2026Article
- Identifying the optimal rapid antigen test for screening and determining the end of isolation: A modeling study.PLoS computational biology · 2026Article
- Enhancing COVID-19 Screening Models With Epidemiological and Mobility Features: Machine-Learning Model Study.JMIR AI · 2026Article
- Modeling the effectiveness of RT-PCR, RT-LAMP, and antigen testing strategies for COVID-19 control.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Article
- A fundamental limit to the effectiveness of traveller screening with molecular tests.Epidemiology and infection · 2025Article
- Status and risk factors for depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms among adolescents in the post-pandemic era.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Role of digital technology in epidemic control: a scoping review on COVID-19 and Ebola.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Evaluation of risk-based travel policy for the COVID-19 epidemic in Scotland: a population-based surveillance study.BMJ open · 2024Article
120 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Traveller screening is being used to limit further spread of COVID-19 following its recent emergence, and symptom screening has become a ubiquitous tool in the global response. Previously, we developed a mathematical model to understand factors governing the effectiveness of traveller screening to prevent spread of emerging pathogens (Gostic et al., 2015). Here, we estimate the impact of different screening programs given current knowledge of key COVID-19 life history and epidemiological parameters. Even under best-case assumptions, we estimate that screening will miss more than half of infected people. Breaking down the factors leading to screening successes and failures, we find that most cases missed by screening are fundamentally undetectable, because they have not yet developed symptoms and are unaware they were exposed. Our work underscores the need for measures to limit transmission by individuals who become ill after being missed by a screening program. These findings can support evidence-based policy to combat the spread of COVID-19, and prospective planning to mitigate future emerging pathogens.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.