Study: Testing policies should vary based on demand to catch the most COVID-19 cases
With months to go in the mass rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, testing is still critical to control the surging pandemic. Yet with testing capacity still limited in some areas, health authorities have struggled with how to catch the most cases: Test on a first-come, first-served basis, or prioritize testing for those with symptoms? Provide free testing for all?
In a recent working paper, Berkeley Haas Asst. Prof. Luyi Yang found that free testing for all-;with no prioritization-;can backfire when demand gets too high. Along with co-authors Shiliang Cui and Zhongbin Wang, Yang developed a model to project how testing facilities should schedule and price COVID testing to reduce infection rates.