Rapid Action Consortium

The US Rapid Action Consortium is a collaboration of leading organizations coming together to help companies develop and deploy Rapid Antigen testing for COVID-19 in workplaces across the US to protect the economy.

The US Rapid Action Consortium is modelled off the successful Creative Destruction Lab Rapid Screening Consortium in Canada, where Genpact is a founding partner. The learnings from this Canadian project were the foundation on which we built the US consortium.

In addition to being a global health crisis and an economic crisis, COVID-19 is

In addition to being a global health crisis and an economic crisis, COVID-19 is fundamentally an information problem of a size and scale the world has never seen before. As with any complex, global information problem, the solution requires intelligent use of data and technology, and the ability for the right parties to come together to create ecosystems of impact.

With millions of lives impacted and billions of dollars lost in economic activity, a systematic approach to testing better enables US businesses create safer workplaces. Even as vaccine adoption continues, testing remains a critical part of workforce health and safety for the foreseeable future.

There is a steep learning curve for everyone - companies, employees, government, citizens, etc - to deploy cheap rapid tests at scale: screening technologies, supply chain, data management, implementation, etc. We can stay ahead by sharing information across companies.

Three leading organizations have come together to consolidate their expertise and reach in the US:

1. The Creative Destruction Lab RSC: As the founder of the movement in Canada, the Creative Destruction Lab Rapid Screening Consortium (CDL RSC), a non-profit organization dedicated to making rapid testing a part of a safe workplace environment, is the Thought Partner for the Rapid Action Consortium.

2. Genpact: As a founding member of the CDL RSC, Genpact is the Operating Partner for the Rapid Action Consortium, using its expertise as a US-based digital transformation company with deep experience in data analytics and process management to help with the organization's mission. Genpact's expertise in using data and technology to solve the most complex business problems helps solve the world's most complex information problem.

3. The COVID Collaborative: As the leading national assembly of experts, leaders, and institutions working to continue minimizing the impact of the pandemic, the COVID Collaborative is a founding partner and advisor to the Rapid Action Consortium.

COVID-19 is, at its core, an information problem. The ability to effectively and rapidly identify those who are infectious is critical to a healthy and stable environment, yet a ready-to-go, off-the-shelf rapid screening solution does not exist. And even with vaccine adoption, testing continues to be a key part of workforce health and safety.

The ability to test effectively at scale has a steep learning curve for companies, employees, governments, and citizens to deploy low-cost rapid tests at scale. Programs need screening technologies, supply chain and data management, and implementation skills, etc. We learn faster by sharing information across businesses.

Scientists and experts agree that COVID-19 will not be fully eradicated anytime soon, and rapid antigen testing, along with other actions, are essential to public safety.

The consortium shares proven screening protocols and offers rapid COVID-19 tests at businesses. We will continue to share our learnings and approaches as a public good to all organizations, large and small. Read our playbook.

Rapid antigen tests detect the presence or absence of an antigen unique to a particular virus – in this case COVID-19. They are designed for screening purposes vs. the diagnosis of acute infection, and are faster and less costly than PCR tests, while maintaining a high accuracy rate. Nevertheless, a positive rapid antigen test is always followed by a confirmatory PCR test.

Yes. While rapid antigen tests may not determine whether someone is infected with a low viral load of the coronavirus, they are sensitive in determining whether someone is infectious. This means that rapid tests can be applied at our workplaces as a frontline screening tool to monitor frequently, break chains of transmission, and make places safer. For more information on transmission, visit this section of the CDC's website.

In general, companies usually collect data about the type of tests administered, the time a test was taken, site specific variables, and the results of the screening test. Each company collects data locally, then selected data is deidentified, aggregated, and shared with the consortium. No personally identifiable data is shared with the consortium.

There is no fee to join the consortium. Each company is responsible for providing the internal resources needed to be a member of the consortium. Each organization needs to fund tests and IT support for their organization.

• Dr. Ajay Agrawal – Creative Destruction Lab Rapid Screening Consortium
• Dr. Steven Phillips – Covid Collaborative
• Sameer Dewan - Genpact
• Dr. Janice Stein – Creative Destruction Lab Rapid Screening Consortium
• Sonia Sennik - Creative Destruction Lab Rapid Screening Consortium