Chicago, IL: PreScouter, a Chicago-based research intelligence firm, has released a new report on how companies can prevent COVID-19 closures with a simple workplace testing strategy they can implement today. With the numerous challenges businesses are facing — from preventing the spread of the virus among the workforce to dealing with a testing system that doesn’t prioritize ensuring continuity of business operations — employers are in great need of guidance and information to safeguard workplaces against closures due to the pandemic. Hence, PreScouter has stepped up to the task with this Intelligence Brief detailing the various types of scenarios that may occur in the workplace and providing actionable advice to aid companies as they struggle to continue operating in the absence of a vaccine.
“With the symptoms of COVID-19 overlapping with so many other ailments, communities have to weigh the economic risk of having individuals self-isolating when they may simply have a cough and headache versus the public health risk of those individuals actually having COVID-19,” PreScouter CEO Dino Gane-Palmer points out, adding, “Practical testing strategies can ease these kinds of worries and allow business to continue more seamlessly.”
To help companies meet these challenges, this PreScouter Intelligence Brief focuses on the best-in-class testing strategies. According to the Technical Director of PreScouter’s COVID-19 Diagnostics & Interventions practice, Dr. Maikel Boot and author of the report, “Picking the right testing strategy for your business is crucial.” The report details how, with the right testing tools, companies can prepare themselves for the various scenarios they may face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
As Dr. Boot explains, “Even though antigen testing has been marketed as ‘the answer’ to doing COVID diagnostic testing, it is generally unreliable when compared to PCR-based testing methods — the golden standard for COVID-19 detection. Antigen testing can be implemented at point-of-care settings to detect infectious individuals, but we advise against it for preventative screening at the workplace.” With saliva-based testing kits now available, companies can easily store a few kits until the need arises, such as clearing an employee for travel or testing a suspected employee, as highlighted in the report. “Pool testing is another strategy gaining popularity among our clients, which enables routine mass screening of up to 24 people at once, at about ⅓ of the cost of testing 24 employees individually,” adds Dr. Boot.
About PreScouter, Inc.: PreScouter provides research support services to help business leaders make better R&D, product development and corporate development decisions. PreScouter’s custom-selected teams of Advanced Degree Researchers and Subject Matter Experts connect business leaders with new markets, commercializable technologies, industry-impacting startups, and other actionable data. PreScouter’s growing list of 500+ clients includes GE Healthcare, Coca Cola, BAE Systems, Whirlpool, and Volvo.