In this Boston Globe opinion piece, published on April 15, 2020, the VoVRN’s David Bloom and co-author David Canning make the case for testing a representative sample of the US population for COVID-19. They offer this approach in response to the now common call for frequent testing of the entire US population for COVID-19. Though universal testing may help curtail the spread of coronavirus, at the moment, the US lacks the infrastructure and human resources needed to mobilize a successful universal testing program. Instead of universal testing, the authors suggest that testing a representative sample of the US population for COVID-19, is a scientifically sound, cost-effective, expedient way to obtain more meaningful data on the prevalence of COVID-19 infection.
Authors propose using respondents of the US Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey as the sampling frame for selecting a random sample of consenting adult participants for COVID-19 testing. Given the urgent need for better data to inform epidemiological projections and planning for vaccine and behavioral interventions, testing a representative sample of the US population could prove to be a minimally burdensome way of obtaining reliable, meaningful data.
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