Epidémiolgie - Santé Publique (Epidemiology - Public Health) - COVIDCent : Situation épidémiologique, risques de propagation du COVID-19 en Afrique Centrale et apport des tests rapides point-of-care Current epidemiological situation, risks of rapid spread of COVID-19 in the Central African region and role of point-of-care rapid tests (COVIDCent study)

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents one of the greatest health challenges of this century globally. The current data presents a critical and alarming situation in Asia and Europe. The dramatic evolution of this pandemic in the regions of the world best prepared for such a situation makes the African continent fear an uncertain prospect. The African continent currently presents extremely fragmented data, which does not allow defining the state of the epidemic on the continent. Without this information, it is and will be difficult, if not impossible, to develop appropriate strategies and responses to prevent, contain and eliminate the pandemic on the continent. The main objective of this study is to contribute to the development of new surveillance strategies, more suited to the context of the resource-limited settings as Sub-Saharan Africa and to model the state and progression of the epidemic in the region using these data. Data on the proportion of circulating specific antibody to SARS-CoV-2 in the communities will be of particular importance. We are articulating our research in particular on the performance, the contribution and the role of rapid diagnostic tests in the diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance of COVID-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study will be conducted in Central Africa, in two countries, Gabon and the Republic of Congo. These two countries are facing a rising epidemic like many other countries in the region and can serve as research sites for the definition of strategies that can be applied to other countries in the region. This research will allow us to fill an important gap in the current strategy for understanding and responding to the COVID-19 epidemic.