Predicting the risk of SARS-Cov2 infection and co-morbidity and Reducing Socioeconomic Impacts: Identification of high-risk population

A: Background: Sub-Saharan Africa is sadly familiar with epidemies, but SARS-Cov2 is posing unprecedented threats. Paradoxically, its low-to-medium clinical severity slows and hampers the early recognition of cases, and the supposedly high number of asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic individuals is seen as a major engine for contagion. From a clinical point of view, the information on why some people remain asymptomatic, other develop mild conditions, some other, instead, develop serious pneumonia, microtrombosis, vasculopathy and eventually die is still scanty. What is known, is that SARS-Cov2 infection can induce a hyper immune response and a systemic inflammatory state. Understanding why this happens to some but not to the others, is crucial for stratification of patients and efficient use of medicines and medical resources. B. Goal and Objectives The goal of this project is to evaluate the oxidative status of a population of individuals (for example, a community center, a University) that can allow the adoption of personalized measures to reduce both the clinical and the socioeconomic impacts of possible outbreaks Objectives: 1. To identify the communities, with risk of becoming hotspots of future outbreak or regions with identified cases of infection. 2. To measure the plasma redox state within the identified communities. 3. To map the chosen communities according to the redox state of their components, and this will become the background signal for that community 4. To set guidelines to the Community Health facilities to implement a system of control of the redox markers among the population C. Methods Most of the work will include analytical laboratory analyses using mainly the following techniques:  Engagement of Community Health facilities, hospital and universities to develop and establish 'electronic medical files' for the population to delineate a predictive statistical model which can be used to early detection of outbreaks and/or hot spot  Quantification of the oxidative status using FRAS Technologies. Two tests will be performed: dROM (Reactive Oxygen Metabolite) and PAT (Plasma Antioxidant Test) tests D: Expected Outcomes are:  Establishment of systematic evaluation of the plasma redox state of a community which goes beyond the contingent case of the SARS-Cov2 pandemic  Inform on strategic plan for health sector in Rwanda  Implementation of the district-wide (with potential for nation-wide) approach where cuttingedge of scientific concepts are immediately translated into technological applications, with the ambition to significantly improve the reactivity of the communities and to reduce the social and economic burdens linked to COVID-19 outbreak.