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Radon, K.* ; Saathoff, E.* ; Pritsch, M.* ; Guggenbühl Noller, J.M.* ; Kroidl, I.* ; Olbrich, L.* ; Thiel, V.* ; Diefenbach, M.* ; Riess, F.* ; Förster, F.* ; Theis, F.J. ; Wieser, A.* ; Hoelscher, M.* ; the KoCo19 collaboration group (Hasenauer, J.* ; Castelletti, N.* ; Zeggini, E.* ; Laxy, M.* ; Leidl, R.* ; Schwettmann, L.*) ; the KoCo19 collaboration group (Fuchs, C.*)

Protocol of a population-based prospective COVID-19 cohort study Munich, Germany (KoCo19).

BMC Public Health 20:1036 (2020)
Publ. Version/Full Text DOI PMC
Open Access Gold
Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
BackgroundDue to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, public health interventions have been introduced globally in order to prevent the spread of the virus and avoid the overload of health care systems, especially for the most severely affected patients. Scientific studies to date have focused primarily on describing the clinical course of patients, identifying treatment options and developing vaccines. In Germany, as in many other regions, current tests for SARS-CoV2 are not conducted on a representative basis and in a longitudinal design. Furthermore, knowledge about the immune status of the population is lacking. Nonetheless, these data are needed to understand the dynamics of the pandemic and hence to appropriately design and evaluate interventions. For this purpose, we recently started a prospective population-based cohort in Munich, Germany, with the aim to develop a better understanding of the state and dynamics of the pandemic.MethodsIn 100 out of 755 randomly selected constituencies, 3000 Munich households are identified via random route and offered enrollment into the study. All household members are asked to complete a baseline questionnaire and subjects >= 14years of age are asked to provide a venous blood sample of <= 3ml for the determination of SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgA status. The residual plasma and the blood pellet are preserved for later genetic and molecular biological investigations. For twelve months, each household member is asked to keep a diary of daily symptoms, whereabouts and contacts via WebApp. If symptoms suggestive for COVID-19 are reported, family members, including children <14years, are offered a pharyngeal swab taken at the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, LMU University Hospital Munich, for molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2. In case of severe symptoms, participants will be transferred to a Munich hospital. For one year, the study teams re-visits the households for blood sampling every six weeks.DiscussionWith the planned study we will establish a reliable epidemiological tool to improve the understanding of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and to better assess the effectiveness of public health measures as well as their socio-economic effects. This will support policy makers in managing the epidemic based on scientific evidence.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Corresponding Author
Keywords Covid-19 ; Pandemics ; Coronavirus Infections ; Epidemiology ; Panel Study ; Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Models ; Economic ; Stress ; Psychological ; Socio-economic Factors ; Spatial Analysis ; Geographic Information Systems
ISSN (print) / ISBN 1471-2458
e-ISSN 1471-2458
Quellenangaben Volume: 20, Issue: 1, Pages: , Article Number: 1036 Supplement: ,
Publisher BioMed Central
Publishing Place Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9xw, England
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed