Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-19-cidrap-viewpoint
COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint
Part 5: "SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 surveillance: a national framework" (Jul 9, 2020)
Part 4: "Contact tracing for COVID-19: Assessing needs, using a tailored approach"
(Jun 2, 2020)
Part 3: "Smart testing for COVID-19 virus and antibodies" (May 20, 2020)
Part 2: "Effective COVID-19 crisis communication" (May 6, 2020)
Part 1: "The future of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from pandemic influenza" (Apr 30, 2020)
Welcome to "COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint." Our intent with the Viewpoint series is to add key information regarding the pandemic, address issues that haven't garnered the attention they deserve, and reflect the unique expertise among the CIDRAP team and our expert consultants.
In this periodic series of reports we will address timely issues with straight talk and clarity. And the steps we recommend will be based on our current reality and the best available data. Our goal is to help planners envision some of the situations that might present themselves later this year or next year so that they can take key steps now, while there’s still time.
Upcoming reports will address supply chains, epidemiologic issues, key areas for research, and other pressing topics.
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In the fifth Viewpoint report, published July 9, 2020, "SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 surveillance: a national framework," CIDRAP and non-CIDRAP experts note that surveillance is a foundation tool for effective COVID-19 response efforts. But surveillance data must be organized and analyzed in a thoughtful, structured way, and the results must be communicated regularly, clearly, and effectively to the public health workforce, policy makers, and the public.
To this point, the lack of consistent methods and strategies for conducting COVID-19 surveillance across the country has hamstrung response efforts.
"Accurate and timely surveillance data are critical to ultimately controlling the COVID-19 pandemic here in the United States," says CIDRAP Diredtor Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH. "It’s also essential that we have data that can be compared across states and over time, so we can assess the impact of various public health interventions."
The authors of the report recommend:
COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint
Part 5: "SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 surveillance: a national framework" (Jul 9, 2020)
Part 4: "Contact tracing for COVID-19: Assessing needs, using a tailored approach"
(Jun 2, 2020)
Part 3: "Smart testing for COVID-19 virus and antibodies" (May 20, 2020)
Part 2: "Effective COVID-19 crisis communication" (May 6, 2020)
Part 1: "The future of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from pandemic influenza" (Apr 30, 2020)
Welcome to "COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint." Our intent with the Viewpoint series is to add key information regarding the pandemic, address issues that haven't garnered the attention they deserve, and reflect the unique expertise among the CIDRAP team and our expert consultants.
In this periodic series of reports we will address timely issues with straight talk and clarity. And the steps we recommend will be based on our current reality and the best available data. Our goal is to help planners envision some of the situations that might present themselves later this year or next year so that they can take key steps now, while there’s still time.
Upcoming reports will address supply chains, epidemiologic issues, key areas for research, and other pressing topics.
__________________________________________________ _______________
In the fifth Viewpoint report, published July 9, 2020, "SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 surveillance: a national framework," CIDRAP and non-CIDRAP experts note that surveillance is a foundation tool for effective COVID-19 response efforts. But surveillance data must be organized and analyzed in a thoughtful, structured way, and the results must be communicated regularly, clearly, and effectively to the public health workforce, policy makers, and the public.
To this point, the lack of consistent methods and strategies for conducting COVID-19 surveillance across the country has hamstrung response efforts.
"Accurate and timely surveillance data are critical to ultimately controlling the COVID-19 pandemic here in the United States," says CIDRAP Diredtor Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH. "It’s also essential that we have data that can be compared across states and over time, so we can assess the impact of various public health interventions."
The authors of the report recommend:
- A state-by-state assessment of COVID-19 surveillance practices needs to be conducted to identify inconsistencies and to determine resource needs. The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) should conduct this review in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Information from this assessment can then be used to develop a national standardized approach to COVID-19 surveillance by states that can adapt as the situation evolves.
- Automated electronic reporting should be incorporated into surveillance whenever possible, and the federal government needs to provide needed additional resources.
- States should publish on their COVID-19 dashboards standardized and detailed data for demographic subgroups defined by combinations of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and location.
- A coordinated campaign at the federal, state, or territorial level with consistent guidance from the CDC regarding key messages is needed to inform and educate applicable facilities on what information is required and why it is important.
- State and local health departments need to have the data systems, informatics expertise, and trained epidemiologists necessary to conduct effective COVID-19 surveillance. This includes upgrading data surveillance infrastructure and ensuring federal support.
- The CDC should implement the agency’s serosurveillance program as quickly as possible.
- The CDC should continue to promote consistency for COVID-19 surveillance across the country and ensure a cohesive national surveillance system by the end of 2020.
- With the fall influenza season approaching, federal, state, local, and territorial health officials need to begin now to determine strategies for coordinating surveillance for both COVID-19 and flu.