Active monitoring of COVID-19

We do not know the actual prevalence of the infection in the population and in different population groups. The Government Crisis Committee manages the COVID-19 crisis on the basis of tests, morbidity and mortality, and data from other countries. With only information on more serious cases and infections in people in need of medical care, we do not have actual data on the spread of the virus in the population. The epidemic cannot be effectively controlled without knowing who is infected. Solution: Active surveillance allows the actual spread of the infection to be assessed. The launch of a surveillance system will make it possible to monitor the infection in the population and will form the basis for drawing up an emergency response strategy. UT offers monitoring through random interviews and testing of those included in the sample. Between 2,000 and 4,000 people are tested per week, with or without symptoms, to assess the nationwide spread of the infection in the population and in different counties / population groups. The management of the COVID-19 epidemic at the governmental level is based on the number of people tested, diagnosed and hospitalized, including those in intensive care and fatalities. At the same time, we know that a significant proportion suffer from the disease with mild symptoms or asymptomatically, and the testing rate for these individuals is low. Therefore, it is not possible to objectively assess the prevalence of the infection in the general population and in different population groups (age, sex, place of residence). In addition, little is known about the factors influencing the disease. There are also no data on the dynamics of infection, especially in counties with low incidence. Estonia's future forecasts are based on data from other countries. Solution: Establish a surveillance system to monitor the spread of the infection. Reliable prevalence data are needed for health policy decisions in the context of an epidemic. The University of Tartu proposes to establish a national monitoring system to assess the prevalence of infection on a regular basis, every week during the first month and every two weeks for the following two months. The launch of a surveillance system will make it possible to monitor the prevalence of infection in the population and will form the basis for drawing up an emergency response strategy. This project proposes a monitoring methodology and an implementation plan. Surveillance is based on active infection detection and surveillance and answers the following questions: 1. What is the actual prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the population, in different population groups (age groups, men-women, counties, nationalities) and among asymptomatic individuals? What is the number and proportion of infected? 2. What are the dynamics of the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection? How does the number and proportion of infections change over time and what factors are involved? What is the impact of the measures implemented? 3. What are the main background characteristics and risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection (comorbidities, household size, socio-economic status, contact types, etc.)? How are they related to prevalence? 4. What is the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease (recovery, symptoms, disease severity, hospitalization, death) and how is it related to background characteristics and risk factors? Does the course of the disease change over time? socio-economic status, contact types, etc.)? How are they related to prevalence? 4. What is the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease (recovery, symptoms, disease severity, hospitalization, death) and how is it related to background characteristics and risk factors? Does the course of the disease change over time? socio-economic status, contact types, etc.)? How are they related to prevalence? 4. What is the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease (recovery, symptoms, disease severity, hospitalization, death) and how is it related to background characteristics and risk factors? Does the course of the disease change over time?