Table 1.

Comparison of nucleic acid testing strategies against COVID-19 in several representative countries and regions as of September 15, 2020.¹⁴

Country	Nucleic Acid Testing Strategies	Case Tracing, Quarantine, and Isolation Measures	Effect
China	Tested all the people with symptoms possibly in an early stage; Wuhan conducted two waves of large-scale testing from April 8 to June 3, 2020; Beijing and Dalian adopted a strategy of “compulsory testing for all required groups” and “testing on a voluntary basis” in June and July, respectively.	Strict case tracing, quarantine, isolation and city lockdown	Full control
South Korea	Tested all the people with symptoms possibly in an early stage, and started to test the public quickly on February 7.	Strict case tracing, quarantine, and isolation	Basic control
Japan	Tested only the people with symptoms or meeting specific criteria before June 15, and tested anyone with symptoms thereafter.	Tracing, quarantine and isolation for clustered cases only; relying on the highly disciplined behavior of the public.	The pandemic was contained and only occurred at a low level.
Singapore	Tested specific groups before January 23, and tested anyone with symptoms thereafter.	Strict case tracing, quarantine and isolation	Full control
Germany	Tested only specific groups in an early stage, and then started to test the public from April 29.	Relatively strict case tracing, quarantine and isolation	The pandemic was contained and only occurred at a low level.
France	Tested anyone with symptoms from February 25 to March 16; tested specific groups from March 17 to May 10; started to test the public from May 11.	Limited tracking of close contacts before May 10; strict case tracing, quarantine and isolation after May 11.	A second outbreak occurred as of September 15, 2020.
Britain	Tested groups who met certain conditions before May 17; then tested anyone with symptoms after May 18.	Strict case tracing from January 31 to March 11; case tracing was suspended from March 12 to May 26; strict case tracing was gradually resumed after May 27.	A second outbreak occurs as of September 15, 2020.
America	No testing policy before February 27; Tested specific groups or those with symptoms from February 28 to March 13. Public-oriented testing service was available after March 14.	Failed to provide testing on a voluntary basis, and the feedback was late. Case tracing was conducted at a limited level. No strict isolation measures.	One of the severely affected countries