Table 1 Overview of the main testing strategies in Belgium since the beginning of the epidemic
Timing | Strategy |
|---|---|
Beginning epidemic | 1. Testing travelers with severe respiratory symptoms returning from areas with recognized local transmission during the last 14 days or symptomatic patients that has physical contact with a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 case. |
11 March 2020 | 2. Travel history dropped as criteria for testing. Exclusively testing of hospitalized cases with acute respiratory symptoms and healthcare workers with acute respiratory symptoms and fever [22]. |
28 March 2020 | 3. Recommendation to test the first cases (maximum 5) of a cluster in a residential collectivity fitting the case definition of a possible COVID-19 case. |
8 May 2020 | 4. Testing of all symptomatic patients that fulfilled the case definition of a possible COVID-19 case [23]. |
12 June 2020 | 5. Testing of all symptomatic patients that fulfilled the case definition of a possible COVID-19 case and high risk contacts (HRC) of a COVID-19 case (one test at the moment of identification, and a second test at the end of quarantine for health care workers) [22]. |
13 July 2020 | 6. Testing strategy broadened to include travelers arriving in Belgium from areas abroad considered as high risk zones (single test). |
21 October 2020 | 7. Testing of asymptomatic HRC and travelers returning from high risk areas abroad temporarily put on hold, because of insufficient test capacity. |
23 November 2020 | 8. Restart testing of asymptomatic HRC and travelers returning from high risk areas abroad. |
31 December 2020 | 9. Two tests need to be performed for travelers returning from high risk areas abroad as soon as possible after arrival and at day 7 after the day of return. |
25 January 2021 | 10. Two tests need to be performed for HRC at the moment of identification and at day 7 after the day of last high risk contact. |