---
id: "coronavirus-smarter-crowdsourcing:strategies/Define-high-risk-populations-who-will-receive-prio"
type: "GovLab policy strategy"
title: "Define high-risk populations who will receive prioritized testing."
url: "https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/strategies/define-high-risk-populations-who-will-receive-prio"
summary: "Define high-risk populations who will receive prioritized testing. Governments should develop a working definition of which populations are high risk. Groups can be added to this list,but the list should identify populations that are at higher risk of contracting and having complications from COVID-19 due to physical health,behavioral health,or economic/social factors."
source: "The GovLab (coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org)"
licence: "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)"
---

# Define high-risk populations who will receive prioritized testing.

Define high-risk populations who will receive prioritized testing. Governments should develop a working definition of which populations are high risk. Groups can be added to this list,but the list should identify populations that are at higher risk of contracting and having complications from COVID-19 due to physical health,behavioral health,or economic/social factors.

- Timeframe: 3-6 Months (medium)
- Audience: Civil Society, Vulnerable Populations, Essential Workers, Organized Civil Society, Nonprofits
- Type: Research, Policy/Legislative/Regulatory, Data, Partnerships, Vulnerable Populations
- Recommendation: [High-risk populations](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/recommendations/high-risk-populations)
- Part of: [Smarter Crowdsourcing in the Age of Coronavirus](https://coronavirus.smartercrowdsourcing.org/)

## Actions governments should take

1. Review population-level data to identify high-risk groups by health-condition, profession, race/ethnicity, age, or other demographic or socio/economic factors
2. Split identified groups into those needing immediate attention and those who will be at high risk in the future (e.g. food insecure populations)
3. Ensure criteria for test allocation is transparent, explicit, simple, and consistently followed
4. Post definitions publicly to ensure transparency and accountability

## Examples from around the world

1. [Colombia’s Emergency Fund is identifying high-risk groups, including prison populations, people who have attended large gatherings, and people with known exposure to the virus, in order to test them and isolate them as needed to reduce the spread of the virus. This was done by leveraging the contact tracing methodology from Johns Hopkins University and adapting the strategies to Colombia’s social context and implementing its own Testing, Tracing, Isolation – or Pruebas, Rastreo y Aislamiento Sostenible (PRASS) program,](https://thecitypaperbogota.com/features/understanding-colombias-strategy-to-win-the-war-on-covid-19/25408)