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Integration of COVID-19 into the Sentinel Influenza and Other Acute Respiratory Infections Network

Received: 4 August 2022     Accepted: 23 August 2022     Published: 5 September 2022
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Abstract

Background: In the COVID-19 pandemic period, surveillance relies on comprehensive testing and case-based reporting. In the post-pandemic phase, multi-layered surveillance, including sentinel surveillance, should be developed to provide information for policy-making. Methods: The existing sentinel network for surveillance of acute respiratory infections was upgraded in the 2020/2021 season with COVID-19 added to the list of reportable diagnoses. We have updated the instructions for the sentinel sites. The virological sampling protocol was adapted to the pandemic and sentinel samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2. To assess the reliability and usability of the upgraded system, we compared the weekly sentinel COVID-19 incidence rates with national incidence rates. Results: Weekly sentinel COVID-19 incidence rates were comparable to nationally reported rates with some deviations. The largest differences were in the age group ≥65 years, with lower incidence rates in the sentinel compared to the national data in the second wave of the pandemic. In adults (20–64 years), the discrepancy was less pronounced. Virological data showed the complete absence of influenza circulation in the 2020/21 season, the unusual course of the RSV season and the absence of hMPV in the first year of the pandemic. The proportion of positive sentinel samples for SARS-CoV-2 was comparable to national data. Conclusions: The process of integrating COVID-19 into the sentinel surveillance is ongoing. We closely monitor the data in order to contextually understand the factors that may affect the results and identify the limitations of the sentinel surveillance for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 10, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12
Page(s) 207-213
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

COVID-19, Sentinel Surveillance, Influenza-Like Illness, Acute Respiratory Infections, Pandemic

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Maja Socan, Katarina Prosenc. (2022). Integration of COVID-19 into the Sentinel Influenza and Other Acute Respiratory Infections Network. Science Journal of Public Health, 10(5), 207-213. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12

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    ACS Style

    Maja Socan; Katarina Prosenc. Integration of COVID-19 into the Sentinel Influenza and Other Acute Respiratory Infections Network. Sci. J. Public Health 2022, 10(5), 207-213. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12

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    AMA Style

    Maja Socan, Katarina Prosenc. Integration of COVID-19 into the Sentinel Influenza and Other Acute Respiratory Infections Network. Sci J Public Health. 2022;10(5):207-213. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12,
      author = {Maja Socan and Katarina Prosenc},
      title = {Integration of COVID-19 into the Sentinel Influenza and Other Acute Respiratory Infections Network},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {10},
      number = {5},
      pages = {207-213},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20221005.12},
      abstract = {Background: In the COVID-19 pandemic period, surveillance relies on comprehensive testing and case-based reporting. In the post-pandemic phase, multi-layered surveillance, including sentinel surveillance, should be developed to provide information for policy-making. Methods: The existing sentinel network for surveillance of acute respiratory infections was upgraded in the 2020/2021 season with COVID-19 added to the list of reportable diagnoses. We have updated the instructions for the sentinel sites. The virological sampling protocol was adapted to the pandemic and sentinel samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2. To assess the reliability and usability of the upgraded system, we compared the weekly sentinel COVID-19 incidence rates with national incidence rates. Results: Weekly sentinel COVID-19 incidence rates were comparable to nationally reported rates with some deviations. The largest differences were in the age group ≥65 years, with lower incidence rates in the sentinel compared to the national data in the second wave of the pandemic. In adults (20–64 years), the discrepancy was less pronounced. Virological data showed the complete absence of influenza circulation in the 2020/21 season, the unusual course of the RSV season and the absence of hMPV in the first year of the pandemic. The proportion of positive sentinel samples for SARS-CoV-2 was comparable to national data. Conclusions: The process of integrating COVID-19 into the sentinel surveillance is ongoing. We closely monitor the data in order to contextually understand the factors that may affect the results and identify the limitations of the sentinel surveillance for the COVID-19 pandemic.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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    T1  - Integration of COVID-19 into the Sentinel Influenza and Other Acute Respiratory Infections Network
    AU  - Maja Socan
    AU  - Katarina Prosenc
    Y1  - 2022/09/05
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.sjph.20221005.12
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    JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
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    AB  - Background: In the COVID-19 pandemic period, surveillance relies on comprehensive testing and case-based reporting. In the post-pandemic phase, multi-layered surveillance, including sentinel surveillance, should be developed to provide information for policy-making. Methods: The existing sentinel network for surveillance of acute respiratory infections was upgraded in the 2020/2021 season with COVID-19 added to the list of reportable diagnoses. We have updated the instructions for the sentinel sites. The virological sampling protocol was adapted to the pandemic and sentinel samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2. To assess the reliability and usability of the upgraded system, we compared the weekly sentinel COVID-19 incidence rates with national incidence rates. Results: Weekly sentinel COVID-19 incidence rates were comparable to nationally reported rates with some deviations. The largest differences were in the age group ≥65 years, with lower incidence rates in the sentinel compared to the national data in the second wave of the pandemic. In adults (20–64 years), the discrepancy was less pronounced. Virological data showed the complete absence of influenza circulation in the 2020/21 season, the unusual course of the RSV season and the absence of hMPV in the first year of the pandemic. The proportion of positive sentinel samples for SARS-CoV-2 was comparable to national data. Conclusions: The process of integrating COVID-19 into the sentinel surveillance is ongoing. We closely monitor the data in order to contextually understand the factors that may affect the results and identify the limitations of the sentinel surveillance for the COVID-19 pandemic.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 5
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Author Information
  • National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia

  • National Laboratory for Health, Environment and Food, Ljubljana, Slovenia

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