Prevalence of Positive COVID-19 Test Results Collected by Digital Self-report in the US and Germany

Abstract

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, official case numbers, typically collected in health care settings, have been a guideline for public health policies. As rapid home testing has become increasingly available, more people have been able to self-diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infections at home, which is not typically counted in official statistics. Here, we aimed to evaluate the agreement and discuss potential sources of deviation between traditional surveillance and self-reported COVID-19 test result data collected from independent smartphone app–based studies in the US and Germany.