METADATA last updated: 2026-02-22 AI file_name: _AI_Comparable Programs Survey - Household Pooled COVID-19 Testing.md file_date: 2026-02-22 title: FloodLAMP Comparable Programs Survey - Household Pooled COVID-19 Testing category: various subcategory: fl-whitepapers tags: comparable-programs, household-pooling source_file_type: md xfile_type: NA gfile_url: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14WBw9ClWZa9ATj2VJzPOWphDMR1ldbQo-HvDkCPmxvo xfile_github_download_url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/FocusOnFoundationsNonprofit/floodlamp-archive/main/various/fl-whitepapers/Comparable%20Programs%20Survey%20-%20Household%20Pooled%20COVID-19%20Testing.md pdf_gdrive_url: NA pdf_github_url: NA conversion_input_file_type: NA conversion: NA license: CC BY 4.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ tokens: 2141 words: 1372 notes: Created by AI (model not specified by user) during archive preparation. **NOT HUMAN VERIFIED - MAY CONTAIN ERRORS** Survey identifying publicly documented COVID-19 testing programs with operational characteristics comparable to the FloodLAMP preschool pilot, drawing from government guidance, peer-reviewed articles, and K-12 testing implementation reports. summary_short: Survey of publicly documented COVID-19 testing programs comparable to the FloodLAMP preschool pilot's combination of at-home self-collection, household-level pooling, fast molecular turnaround, and decentralized near-site processing. Ranks six programs by overall similarity, provides a feature comparison matrix, and concludes that the full four-part combination appears rare in public documentation, especially in early childcare/preschool settings. CONTENT ## Prompt (Cleaned) Identify publicly documented COVID-19 testing programs most similar to the FloodLAMP preschool pilot's specific combination of: (1) self-collected samples at home/household, (2) household-level pooling, (3) fast-turnaround molecular testing (PCR/NAAT/LAMP), and (4) decentralized near-site processing.] **Files included in context window:** FloodLAMP Whitepaper - California Preschool Family Pooled Screening Pilot (June 2022).md ## Overview Below are the closest publicly documented programs found that resemble the FloodLAMP preschool pilot's specific combination of: - Self-collected samples (especially collected at home / in household) - Household-level pooling (pooling by family/household rather than classroom-only/random pooling) - Fast-turnaround molecular testing (PCR/NAAT/LAMP with rapid operational turnaround) - Decentralized near-site processing (on-site/near-site rather than "send to a central lab and wait") Programs are ranked by overall similarity to that full combination (not by prestige or scale). --- ## Most Similar Programs Found (Ranked) ### 1) Abrome (Austin, Texas) -- Daily Onsite "Pooled Household" LAMP Surveillance Testing Abrome publicly described a program where each family/household submits a pooled household sample and the pooled samples are used for LAMP surveillance testing, with language indicating it was an on-site daily testing approach. **Why it's highly similar:** - Household-level pooling ✅ - Molecular/LAMP ✅ - On-site/near-site processing ✅ (described as "on-site" / onsite daily program) - Self-collection ✅ (framed as household submission; materials describe household pooling as the unit of collection) **Key caveat vs FloodLAMP preschool description:** - The public materials found do not clearly publish an operational "sample-to-answer" turnaround time (e.g., <2 hours). They emphasize the structure (household pooling + LAMP + on-site/daily) more than a quantified turnaround SLA. --- ### 2) University of Cambridge (UK) -- Pooled PCR Screening Where Pools Corresponded to "Student Households" This was a real, large-scale asymptomatic screening program (autumn 2020) in which students self-administered swabs in their own accommodation, and swabs from up to 10 students were pooled, with pools generally corresponding to student households. Samples were dropped off at college sites and delivered the same day; the program aimed for results within 24 hours, and positive pools triggered same-day individual confirmatory PCR. **Why it's highly similar:** - Self-collected (in residence) ✅ - Household-level pooling ✅ (student households) - Molecular PCR ✅ - Decentralized processing ✅ (university's own PCR testing center) - Operational speed ✅-ish (results within 24h, with same-day confirmatory for positives) **Key difference vs FloodLAMP preschool pilot:** - Turnaround was described as within ~24 hours, not the sub-2-hour near-site turnaround emphasized in the preschool pilot narrative. --- ### 3) UK Health Security Agency (England/Scotland) -- "Cohort Pool Testing" Pilot for Student Households The UK ran a pooled-testing pilot aimed at student households, with testing self-administered and completed in the household, using groups up to 5 people. The pooled kit (multiple swabs into a single tube) was dropped off to the university the same day so it could be sent to a lab. **Why it's similar:** - Household pooling ✅ - Self-administered in household ✅ - Molecular testing ✅ (PCR pathway; framed as lab testing) **Key differences vs FloodLAMP preschool pilot:** - Processing is explicitly "send to the lab," not a decentralized near-site model. - Turnaround is not described as near-real-time; it's tied to lab logistics. --- ### 4) "Pooling in a Pod" (Washington, DC Independent PreK-12 School) -- Weekly On-Site Point-of-Care NAAT Pooled Testing A Washington, DC preschool-grade 12 school implemented weekly on-site point-of-care pooled NAAT testing ("pooling in a pod"). Staff and older students self-collected anterior nares samples; younger students were collected by trained staff. The school selected a portable Visby Medical NAAT run on-site with ~30-minute turnaround and reported an average 40 minutes from collection to result. **Why it's similar:** - Pooled testing ✅ - Molecular NAAT ✅ - Decentralized on-site processing ✅ - Very fast operational turnaround ✅ (tens of minutes) **Key differences vs FloodLAMP preschool pilot:** - Pooling is by pods/classroom/social cohorts, not households. - Collection is primarily at school (under observation), not at-home household collection. --- ### 5) One City Schools (Madison, Wisconsin) -- At-Home Saliva Collection + On-Site RT-LAMP The Rockefeller Foundation's "early adopters" review describes One City Schools using saliva collected at home and processed on-site using RT-LAMP in a pop-up lab model. **Why it's similar:** - At-home collection ✅ - Molecular (RT-LAMP) ✅ - Decentralized/on-site processing ✅ **Key difference vs FloodLAMP preschool pilot:** - This is not described as household pooling (it's primarily individual saliva samples in the sources found). --- ### 6) New York School Programs Using NewNorm + Mirimus -- At-Home Saliva Collection + Pooled PCR, Off-Site Lab Processing The Rockefeller Foundation report describes programs where families/students collect saliva at home, samples are pooled (e.g., 24 per pool), and then shipped by courier to Mirimus Clinical Labs for pooled PCR; turnaround was described as typically <24 hours (sometimes ~12 hours), with a 48-hour guarantee in one described configuration. **Why it's similar:** - At-home collection ✅ - Pooled molecular testing ✅ **Key differences vs FloodLAMP preschool pilot:** - Pooling is not household-based (pooled across larger groups). - Processing is off-site at an external lab (not near-site decentralized processing at/near the school). - Turnaround is "fast for PCR," but not near-real-time (<2 hours). --- ## Quick Similarity Matrix Legend: ✅ = clearly described in public sources; ◐ = partially/indirectly; ❌ = not described / opposite | Rank | Program | Self-collected (at home/household) | Household pooling | Molecular | Near-site processing | Operational turnaround described | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Abrome (Austin, TX) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (LAMP) | ✅ (on-site described) | ◐ (not clearly quantified) | | 2 | Univ. of Cambridge (UK) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (PCR) | ✅ (university testing center) | ✅ (~<24h; same-day confirmatory) | | 3 | UKHSA "cohort pool testing" pilot | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (PCR) | ❌ (sent to lab) | ◐ (depends on lab) | | 4 | Pooling in a Pod (DC school) | ◐ (self-collected, but at school) | ❌ | ✅ (NAAT) | ✅ (on-site) | ✅ (~30--40 min) | | 5 | One City Schools (WI) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (RT-LAMP) | ✅ (on-site) | ◐ (not "<2h" in the summary) | | 6 | NewNorm + Mirimus (NY) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ (PCR) | ❌ (off-site lab) | ✅-ish (~12--24h typical) | | | | | | | | | --- ## What Was Not Found Across the sources located (government guidance, peer-reviewed/PMC articles, and major K-12 testing implementation reports), no clearly documented childcare/preschool program was found that simultaneously had: - At-home self-collection - Household pooling - Rapid molecular turnaround on the order of hours (not 12--48h) - Decentralized near-site processing The closest "full-combination" matches found are: - **Abrome** (K-12 school, US) describing pooled household LAMP with on-site daily testing in public materials. - **University programs** (Cambridge; plus UK national pilot) where pooling aligned to "households," with self-collection in residences, but PCR lab processing and turnaround closer to same-day/next-day rather than hours. --- ## Additional Context Supporting Rarity of Household Pooling A Belgian national public health advisory (Sciensano/RAG Testing) explicitly discusses "household pooling" as a concept, recommends piloting it in real-life settings, and notes that (as of that advisory) the only country they identified where household-type pooling had been piloted was the UK, adding that they could not find results of that UK pilot. That is not proof no other programs existed, but it is a strong signal that household pooling (as a distinct operational approach) was uncommon and not widely documented, even in expert guidance. --- ## Bottom Line - There is publicly available information describing programs with the same distinctive "household pooling + self-collection" structure, notably the UK university pilot guidance and the University of Cambridge implementation (household-aligned pooling). - However, the full "FloodLAMP-style" combination -- at-home household pooling plus near-site decentralized processing plus very fast molecular turnaround measured in ~hours or less -- appears rare in public documentation, especially in early childcare/preschool settings. The best "near-complete" analogs outside FloodLAMP were: - **Cambridge** (household pooling + self-collection + local PCR testing center; ~<24h results), and - **Pooling in a Pod** (very fast on-site molecular pooled testing; but not household pooling and not at-home collection).