Residential clustering of COVID-19 cases and efficiency of building-wide compulsory testing notices as a transmission control measure in Hong Kong

Abstract

Background: Despite relatively few reports of residential case clusters of COVID-19, building-wide compulsory testing notices on residential apartment blocks are frequently applied in Hong Kong with the aim of identifying cases and reducing transmission. Methods: We aimed to describe the frequency of residential case clusters and the efficiency of compulsory testing notices in identifying cases. The residences of locally infected COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong were grouped to quantify the number of cases per residence. Buildings targeted in compulsory testing notices were matched with the residence of cases to estimate the number of cases identified. Results: We found that most of the residential buildings (4246/7688, 55.2%) with a confirmed COVID-19 case had only one reported case. In the fourth and the fifth epidemic wave in Hong Kong, we estimated that compulsory testing notices detected 29 cases (95% confidence interval: 26, 32) and 46 cases (44, 48) from every 100 buildings tested (each with hundreds of residents), respectively. Approximately 13% of the daily reported cases were identified through compulsory testing notices. Conclusions: Compulsory testing notices can be an essential method when attempting to maintain local elimination (zero covid) and most impactful early in an epidemic when the benefit remains of stemming a new wave. Compulsory testing therefore appears to be a relatively inefficient control measure in response to sustained community transmission in the community.