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COVID-19 surveillance: Large decrease in clinical notifications and epidemiological investigation questionnaires for
Vasco Ricoca Peixoto1, André Vieira1, Pedro Aguiar1
1NOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Centre, Comprehensive Health Research Center, CHRC, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
Frontiers in Public Health
|March 27, 2023
Summary
COVID-19 surveillance in Portugal saw declining completeness of clinical notifications (CN) and epidemiological investigation (EI) forms as case counts rose. This reduced the system's ability to track infection context and symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Disease Surveillance
Background:
- The Portuguese National Epidemiological Surveillance System (SINAVE) mandates electronic submission of COVID-19 data.
- Completeness of clinical notifications (CN) and epidemiological investigation (EI) forms is crucial for effective surveillance.
- Understanding data completeness is vital for informing pandemic response strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the completeness of CN and EI submissions within the SINAVE system for COVID-19.
- To identify trends in data completeness over time and by demographic factors.
- To inform improvements in pandemic surveillance systems.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 909,720 COVID-19 laboratory-notified cases from March 2020 to July 2021.
- Calculation of proportions of cases lacking CN or EI by region and age group.
- Poisson regression used to identify factors associated with incomplete submissions.
Main Results:
- After October 2020, increased COVID-19 cases correlated with decreased CN and EI submissions.
- By July 2021, 68.57% of cases lacked both CN and EI, and 96.26% lacked EI.
- Older adults (≥75 years) and specific regions (Alentejo, Algarve, Madeira) showed better EI submission rates.
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 surveillance data completeness in Portugal significantly declined, particularly after January 2021.
- Operational pressures during high case volumes may have led to the abandonment of official data submission channels.
- Regular evaluation of surveillance systems is essential for adapting to dynamic public health needs and ensuring data utility.
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