Real-world usage of mass rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 in long-term care facilities and support programmes: results from long-term surveillance in North-Eastern Germany

The study demonstrated a delayed increase in the RATs positivity rate in the participating facilities compared to PCR positivity rate of public health data. Still, it was observed that the positivity rate of RATs evidently follows the pandemic dynamics. We conclude that a frequent large-scale testing strategy was feasible but should consider reasonable adjustments to preserve existing resources. Further research is necessary to identify improvements for future applications.