FluCov: Influenza-COVID-19, understanding and communicating the impact of COVID-19 on influenza activity
Duration: Mar 2021 - Jul 2023
- Sign up here to receive the monthly FluCov bulletin via email
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Background
On 1 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) requested information on a reported cluster of atypical pneumonia cases in Wuhan from the Chinese authorities. On 1 March 2020, WHO made the assessment that SARS-CoV-2 could be characterized as a pandemic. The emergence of this new virus has had a major impact on the global circulation of respiratory viruses, including influenza and RSV.
Participating countries
A number of 21 contextual and geographical representative countries have been selected:
- America (4): Brazil, Canada, Mexico, USA
- Europe (8): France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom
- South Asia (4): India, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam
- Pacific (5): Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
Aim
FluCov aims are threefold:
- to document and communicate about the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on influenza activity
- to document and communicate about measures to prevent and control influenza in the coming years (e.g. by vaccination)
- to model future epidemic scenarios, with a focus on influenza activity
Project design
The research project consists of four components:
- establish a procedure to access and publish routine influenza (FluNet data) and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance data
- implement a testing and laboratory practices survey of National Influenza Centres to assess how SARS-CoV-2 has impacted influenza surveillance capacity
- collect influenza vaccination coverage rates in the selected countries (by risk group)
- In collaboration with colleagues at EHESP, develop and apply a modelling strategy to produce scenarios on the possible resurgence of influenza activity in the coming years
Results
We share our research and findings by providing access to the FluCov Bulletins, posters, and survey results:
- a dashboard which allows visitors to query the influenza and Sars-Cov-2 data themselves
- the FluCov Bulletins: regular publications of the epidemiological assessment on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza activity
- scientific publications:
- an abstract regarding the epidemiological impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on influenza activity, which was submitted to ESCAIDE (European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology) in November 2021
- two abstracts which were submitted to Options XI: 1) the NIC survey results and 2) the modelling study/strategy (by EHESP)
Result 1: FluCov Dashboard, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 had a major impact on the global circulation of respiratory viruses, including influenza (see https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29402-5). In order to understand the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza activity worldwide, the FluCov Dashboard offers users a clear view of the current and past circulation of both viruses (since 2019), in a wide range of countries all over the world. Real-time weekly surveillance weekly data are downloaded and presented in the Dashboard.
Results 2 en 3: FluCov Bulletins, scientific publications, survey results, posters
- FluCov-Bulletins (starting in June 2021)
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- FluCov-Bulletin August 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin end-July 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin mid-July 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin June 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin May 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin April 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin March 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin end-February 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin mid-February 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin end-January 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin mid-January 2023
- FluCov-Bulletin end-December 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin mid-December 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin end-November 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin mid-November 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin October 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin September 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin August 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin July 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin June 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin May 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin April 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin March 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin February 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin January 2022
- FluCov-Bulletin December 2021
- FluCov-Bulletin November 2021
- FluCov-Bulletin October 2021
- FluCov-Bulletin September 2021
- FluCov-Bulletin June 2021
- InFluNews (Newsletter Global Influenza Initiative GII)
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- Infographic June 2023
- Infographic April 2023
- Infographic March 2023
- InfluNews, issue 1, January 2023
- InfluNews, issue 7, November 2022
- Infographic InFlunews, issue 7, November 2022
- InfluNews, issue 6 - September 2022
- Infographic InFlunews, issue 6, September 2022
- InfluNews, issue 5 - August 2022
- Infographic InFlunews, issue 5, August 2022
- InfluNews, issue 4 - July 2022
- Infographic InFlunews, issue 4, July 2022
- InFluNews, issue 3 - April 2022
- Infographic InFluNews, issue 3, April 2022
- InFluNews, issue 2 - March 2022
- Infographic InFluNews, issue 2, March 2022
- InFluNews, issue 1 - February 2022
- InFluNews, issue 5 - September 2021
- Infographic InFluNews, issue 5, September 2021
- InFluNews, issue 4 - July 2021
- InFluNews, issue 3 - June 2021
- Infographic InFluNews, issue 3, June 2021
- InFluNews, issue 2 - April 2021
- Infographic InFluNews, issue 2 - April 2021
- InFluNews, issue 1 - March 2021
- Infographic InFluNews, issue 1 - March 2021
- Infographic June 2023
- Posters
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- FluCov NIC Survey, presented at OPTIONS XI, 26-29 September 2022
- EU5 Modelling to produce influenza activity scenarios, presented at OPTIONS XI, 26-29 September 2022
- FluCov EpiBulletin, presented at WHO-ISIRV conference "COVID-19, Influenza and RSV: Surveillance-Informed Prevention and Treatment, 19-21 October 2021
- Scientific publications
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- 2023 | The impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on global influenza surveillance: insights from 18 National Influenza Centers based on a survey conducted between November 2021 and March 2022. Staadegaard, L., Del Riccio, M., Wiegersma, S., El Guerche-Séblain, C., Dueger, E., Akçay, M., Casalegno, J.S., Dückers, M., Caini, S., Paget, J. 2023
- 2023 | Landscape analysis of modelling activities around the world regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza activity. Wiegersma, S., Del Riccio, M., Staadegaard, L., Paget, J. Utrecht: Nivel, 2023
- 2023 | Preparing for the upcoming 2022/23 influenza season: A modelling study of the susceptible population in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Boudewijns, B., Paget, J. Del Riccio, M., Coudeville, L., Crépey, P. Influenza Other Respi Viruses. 2023
- 2021 | Letter to the editor: Increase of influenza vaccination coverage rates during the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for the upcoming influenza season in northern hemisphere countries and Australia. Del Riccio M, Lina B, Caini S, Staadegaard L, Wiegersma S, Kynčl J, Combadière B, MacIntyre CR, Paget J. Euro Surveill. 2021
- Presentations
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- GII-MENA-RAISE Survey – Results
Nivel project team
Participating Nivel researchers are:
- John Paget PhD, senior scientist
- Bronke Boudewijns, junior researcher
- Marco Del Riccio, researcher
- Willemijn van Waarden, data scientist
- Saverio Caini MD, PhD, guest researcher
Project partners
Project partners are:
- The Global Influenza Initiative (GII)
- École des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique (EHESP)
The research project is funded by Sanofi. The current research grant runs until 31 July 2023.Funding
Want to know more?
For more information on this project, please feel free to get in touch with the Nivel expert(s) involved. You will find them on the right, together with the (future) Nivel deliverables (publications) and other relevant content.