The Effect of Large-Scale Anti-Contagion Policies on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Solomon Hsiang; Daniel Allen; Sebastien Annan-Phan; Kendon Bell; Ian Bolliger; Trinetta Chong; Hannah Druckenmiller; Andrew Hultgren; Luna Yue Huang; Emma Krasovich; Peiley Lau; Jaecheol Lee; Esther Rolf; Jeanette Tseng; Tiffany Wu

is the (which was not peer-reviewed) The copyright holder for this preprint . https://doi.org /10.1101 /10. /2020 confirmed cases. As a result of these efforts, KCDC announced that they would begin to test 3,000 45 people daily, a marked increase from only 200 people a day. 46 The KCDC revised their guidelines on February 20, 2020 in order to test more people. Their press release stated: "Suspected cases with a medical professional's recommendation, regardless of travel history, will get tested. Additionally, those who are hospitalized with unknown pneumonia will also be tested. Lastly, anybody in contact with a diagnosed individual will need to self-isolate, and will only be released when they test negative on the thirteenth day of isolation." 47 As the number of patients grew rapidly, the KCDC decided to focus on more vulnerable groups. In their February 29, 2020 press release, the agency stated: "The KCDC has asked local government and health facilities to focus on tests and treatment, especially targeting those aged 65+ and those with underlying conditions who need early detection and treatment." This change was coded as our last testing regime change in the dataset. 48