Paper detail

Purim: a rapid method with reduced cost for massive detection of CoVid-19

The CoVid-19 is spreading pandemically all over the world. A rapid defeat of the pandemic requires carrying out on the population a mass screening, able to separate positive from negative cases. Such a cleaning will free a flow of productive population. The current rate and cost of testing, performed with the common PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method and with the available resources, is forcing a selection of the subjects to be tested. Indeed, each one must be examined individually at the cost of precious time. Moreover, the exclusion of potentially positive individuals from screening induces health risks, a broad slowdown in the effort to curb the viral spread, and the consequent mortality rates. We present a new procedure, the Purified by Unified Resampling of Infected Multitudes, in short Purim, able to untangle any massive candidate sample with inexpensive screening, through the cross-correlated analysis of the joint speciments. This procedure can reveal and detect most negative patients and in most cases discover the identity of the few positives already in the first or few secondary tests. We investigate the the two-dimensional correlation case in function of the infection probability. The multi-dimensional topology, the scaled Purim procedure are also considered. Extensive Purim tests may measure and weight the degree of epidemic: their outcome may identify focal regions in the early stages. Assuming hundreds or thousand subjects, the saving both in time and in cost will be remarkable. Purim may be able to filter scheduled flights, scholar acceptance, popular international event participants. The optimal extension of Purim outcome is growing as the inverse of the epidemia expansion. Therefore, the earlier, the better.