Why temperature based testing is woefully inadequate for COvid 19 screening

In a lot of places around the world, malls, apartments, workspaces etc have implemented no-contact temperature screening to deny entry to anyone with a fever. There are a lot of reasons this is a bad idea.

• There are thousands of different kinds of medical conditions that cause a fever – and a lot of them are not even communicable diseases
• Most COVID-19 cases start with an incubation period during which the affected individual is a carrier for the disease but displays no visible symptoms – cough, cold, or fever. This incubation period, during which the person can spread the disease without a fever, lasts on average 2 weeks. Some people might not develop symptoms even after 2 weeks but still be carriers.
• A lot of known cases did not present with a fever. We don’t even have any figures on unknown, asymptomatic cases.