Rate of COVID-19 testing in most impacted countries worldwide as of May 4, 2021

As of May 4, 2021, the United States had performed the fourth most COVID-19 tests per one million population among the countries most severely impacted by the pandemic. The U.S. has conducted around 450 million COVID-19 tests in total.

Testing is the key to controlling virus

The World Health Organization sent a clear message to all countries in March 2020: test, test, and test. The more tests that are conducted, the easier it becomes to track the spread of the virus and reduce transmission. Many countries followed the advice, identifying a greater number of cases at an earlier stage, isolating infected individuals, and limiting the spread of the disease to others. International travel bans have returned in recent months following the discovery of virus mutations. Essential travel is permitted, but passengers must expect to provide a negative COVID-19 test.

What is an antibody test?

Countries around the world are making widespread testing a key part of their plans to exit lockdown. However, the global demand for antibody test kits has been huge. The kits are used to identify antibodies in a person’s blood sample. The presence of antibodies means the individual has been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and developed antibodies to help fight it. Antibody tests are important in detecting infections in people who are asymptomatic, i.e., showing few or no symptoms. Asymptomatic carriers may have unwittingly contributed to the rapid spread of the disease.