Oberste, Max, Pusch, Lynn-Marie, Roth, Rebecca, Shah-Hosseini, Kija 
ORCID: 0000-0001-9616-6942, Schmitz, Jana, Heger, Eva, Dewald, Felix, Mueller, Claudia, von Goltzheim, Luise Stach, Lehmann, Clara, Buess, Michael, Wolff, Anna, Faetkenheuer, Gerd, Wiesmueller, Gerhard, Klein, Florian ORCID: 0000-0003-1376-1792, Rosenberger, Kerstin Daniela, Neuhann, Florian ORCID: 0000-0001-5944-1597 and Hellmich, Martin
(2022).
Results of the Cologne Corona surveillance (CoCoS) study - a prospective population-based cohort study: incidence data and potential underestimation of new SARS-CoV-2 adult infections by health authorities.
BMC Public Health, 22 (1).
LONDON:
BMC.
ISSN 1471-2458
Abstract
Background: Current incidence estimates of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany rely to a large extent on case notifications. However, the large number of mild or asymptomatic infections is likely to result in underestimation. Population-based studies can provide valid estimates of the SARS-CoV-2 incidence and thus support health authorities to monitor the epidemiological situation and to initiate, maintain, strengthen or relax effective countermeasures. Methods: This study was conducted in Cologne, Germany. Six-thousand randomly drawn Cologne residents, 18 years of age or older, were contacted by mail in March 2021. Study envelopes contained a kit for self-administered saliva sample and access details to a questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics, previous positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR and completed COVID-19 vaccinations. Participants were again invited for a second round in June 2021, while those who declined participation were replaced by additional randomly drawn Cologne residents in order to reach a total of 6000 potential participants again. The saliva samples were sent to the laboratory by mail and tested for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-qPCR. The incidence estimates were adjusted for sensitivity and specificity of the test procedure and compared with the official numbers of new SARS-CoV-2 cases in the adult Cologne population. Results: The first surveillance round in March 2021 (response rate: 34.08%, N = 2045) showed a SARS-CoV-2 seven-day incidence of 85 cases per 100,000 adult Cologne residents (95% CI: 9 to 319). In the same period, the officially registered cases were 125 per 100,000. The second surveillance round in June 2021 (response rate: 36.53%, N = 2192) showed a seven-day incidence of 27 per 100,000 adult Cologne residents (95% CI: 1 to 142), while the official figures for newly registered SARS-CoV-2 cases in the same period were 15 per 100,000. Conclusions: The incidence estimates do not indicate relevant underestimation of new SARS-CoV-2 infections based on case notification. Regular use of the surveillance method developed here may nevertheless complement the efforts of the health authorities to assess the epidemiological situation.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Creators: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-677249 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12889-022-13745-1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | BMC Public Health | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volume: | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number: | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher: | BMC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of Publication: | LONDON | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ISSN: | 1471-2458 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language: | English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Faculty: | Unspecified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Divisions: | Unspecified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subjects: | no entry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| URI: | http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/67724 |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
Altmetric
Export
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |