Start
maart 2021

FluCov: Influenza-COVID-19, understanding and communicating the impact of COVID-19 on influenza activity

Duration: Mar 2021 - Dec 2025

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PijnBackground

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. The end of the pandemic was announced on 4 May 2023, with SARS-CoV-2 being an established virus which continues to circulate globally.

Participating countries

A number of 25 contextual and geographical representative countries have been selected:

  • Africa (2): Egypt, South Africa
  • America (6): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, United States
  • Europe (8): France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom
  • South Asia (4): India, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Pacific (5): Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea

Doel Aim

The FluCov project aims to provide a situation analysis of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 co-circulation in relation to other respiratory pathogens, when relevant. This information is critical for the assessment and development of public health implications for influenza vaccine composition, coverage, and policies in the coming years.

Producten en dienstenProject design

The research project consists of six components:

  1. Developing an integrated Bulletin for acute respiratory pathogens using data from WHO FluNet and other key sources with a primary focus on influenza and SARS-CoV-2
  2. Further maintaining the existing FluCov Dashboard on the Nivel website and exploring ways to extend the project, notably to new pathogens e.g. avian influenza
  3. Assessing how the FluCov Dashboard on the Nivel website can be further enhanced by adding new Bulletins and possibly also new sources of surveillance data 
  4. Assessing the possible extinction of the B-Yamagata influenza virus
  5. Assessing the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on influenza vaccine coverage rates around the world
  6. Writing a manuscript to describe and present the FluCov multi-pathogen surveillance website/ platform and results

ResultatenResults

We share our research and findings by providing access to the FluCov Bulletins, posters, and survey results:

  1. A dashboard which allows visitors to query the influenza and SARS-CoV-2 data themselves
  2. Regular publications:
    • the FluCov Bulletins of the epidemiological assessment on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza activity
    • influenza activity reports: biweekly short publication of seasonal influenza activity, SARS-CoV-2 activity, and influenza viruses with pandemic potential
  3. Scientific publications:
    • Abstracts
    1. 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
    2. Contributions:
      1. two posters which were presented at Options XI: 1) the NIC survey results and 2) the modelling study/strategy (by EHESP)
      2. poster presented at ESCMID Global 2024: quantitative analysis of influena B/Yamagata surveillance data
      3. oral presentation online at the 8th ESWI influenza conference: influenza vaccine coverage rate
      4. Poster presented at OPTIONS XII in September 2024: results of three years the FluCov project
    • Scientific publication (research article): A Missed Opportunity? Exploring Changes in Influenza Vaccination Coverage During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data From 12 Countries Worldwide (Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses)
    • Scientific publication (viewpoint): post-disappearance scenarios: policy implications following the potential disappearance of B/Yamagata lineage influenza viruses (Eurosurveillance)
    • Scientific publication (research article): Probable extinction of influenza B/Yamagata and its public health implications: a systematic literature review and assessment of global surveillance databases (The Lancet Microbe) 
    • Scientific publication (Letter to the editor): influenza vaccine coverage rate during the COVID-19 pandemic (Eurosurveillance)
    • Scientific publication (research article): modelling the susceptible population for the 2022/23 influenza season (Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses)
    • Report: landscape analysis of modelling activities regarding the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on influenza activity
    • Scientific publication (research article): survey among National Influenza Centers about the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on influenza surveillance (Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses)

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, and more recently their co-circulation, 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.
 

Nivel-FluCov-Dashboard

Results 2 and 3: FluCov Bulletins, scientific publications, survey results, posters

FluCov Influenza Activity Reports - (biweekly update from 2025), starting 22 Nov 2023
FluCov-Bulletins (monthly) starting in June 2021)
Global Influenza Initiative (GII) infographics and newsletters
Posters
  • Poster presented at OPTIONS XII in September 2024: results of three years the FluCov project
  • 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
Presentations
  • GII-MENA-RAISE Survey – Results

Panels met patiënten, cliënten en burgersNivel project team

Participating Nivel researchers are:

Project partners are:

  • The Global Influenza Initiative (GII) 

  • SterFunding

    The research project is funded by Sanofi. The current research grant runs until December 2025.

Meer wetenWant 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.

Dit project wordt gesubsidieerd door
Sanofi Pasteur
Projectpartners
Global Influenza Initiative (GII); Middle East, Eurasia and Africa Influenza Stakeholders Network (MENA); Raise Awareness of Influenza Strategies in Europe (RAISE); Pan-European Committee on Influenza.