Can reasoned mass testing impact covid-19 outcomes in wide community contexts?An evidence-based opinion Mass testing and outcomes of COVID-19 in Lombardy and Veneto

We describe the early phases of a COVID-19 epidemic in two contiguous Italian regions, Lombardy and Veneto, which were heavily and simultaneously hit by SARS-CoV-2 in Italy but showed markedly different disease outcome in terms of case fatality rate, SARS-CoV-2-attributable mortality and hospitalization. We discuss data limitations together with similarities and differences of the regional context possibly affecting COVID-19 control in the two regions. We conclude that the better COVID-19 outcome in Veneto was due, at least in part, to the adoption of a strategy of active search of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections (Reasoned Mass Testing), instead of a strategy strictly based on the detection of symptomatic cases.

Automated summary

After the outbreak of the epidemic, the two adjacent regions of Lombardy and Veneto in Italy adopted different control strategies, and Veneto's strategy of actively searching for asymptomatic infections resulted in better epidemic outcomes.