This is a prospective evaluation of a program that is being implemented using a stepped-wedge, cluster randomized design.
Eligible secondary public schools in Toronto Region will be randomized. The study will occur over a 7-week period with a minimum of one-week of baseline data (control phase - testing at an assessment center, primary care or acute care center) and then schools will start the program in a stepwise manner (10 crossovers per week) with take-home saliva being available to all 60 schools by the end of the study period. The primary objective of the study is to assess whether the availability of take home saliva kits at schools for symptomatic PCR testing leads to increased diagnosis of COVID-19 cases in the school.
