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Objectives: Estimate the detection limits of the COVID-19 surveillance system (SS) in Chile, by estimating the SARS-CoV-2 true prevalence (TP) and the reported official positivity prevalence (OPP) gap.
Study Design: Randomized cross-sectional.
Methods: Two sampling campaigns (SC) were conducted (October-November 2020 and December 2020-January 2021) in the cities of Temuco, Valdivia, and Osorno. Blood was collected from adults from randomly selected households. Sera were analyzed using a commercial later flow test (LFT). A meta-analysis was performed to estimate LFT-performance in asymptomatic-cases. Data were analyzed using a Bayesian latent class model (BLCM) to estimate TP. Finally, BLCM outputs were compared with the OPP, by calculating the TP/OPP rate.
Results: 1124 and 1017 households were visited during the 1st and 2nd SC, respectively. The BLCM rendered TP estimates of 6.5 %, 3.2 %, and 6.6 % for the cities of Temuco, Valdivia, and Osorno, respectively (1SC), increasing to 9.4 %, 5.0 %, and 7.5 %, 60 days later (2SC). Depending on the city and SC, TP/OPP rates varied between 2.3 and 5.7.
Conclusion: The national SS was unable to detect 70-79 % of all infected cases, suggesting that mild and asymptomatic cases were scarcely detected.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2024.12.033 | DOI Listing |
J Med Internet Res
September 2025
University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Background: Online postal self-sampling (OPSS) allows service users to screen for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by ordering a self-sampling kit online, taking their own samples, returning them to a laboratory for testing, and receiving their results remotely. OPSS availability and use has increased in both the United Kingdom and globally the past decade but has been adopted in different regions of England at different times, with different models of delivery. It is not known why certain models were decided on or how implementation strategies have influenced outcomes, including the sustainability of OPSS in sexual health service delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
September 2025
The Permanente Medical Group, Pleasanton, California, United States of America.
Background: Research on Post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC) has focused on the prevalence of symptoms, leaving gaps in our understanding of predictors of health care seeking.
Objective: To identify clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with PASC care seeking.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study of adult patients with COVID-19 diagnosis between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 in a community-based comprehensive health care delivery system at 21 hospitals and medical clinics in Northern California.
PLoS One
September 2025
Graduate Program in Public Health - PPGSC/UFES, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.
A comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the epidemiological dynamics of COVID-19 across the pandemic waves-particularly in terms of disease severity and mortality-is critical for optimizing healthcare services and prioritizing high-risk populations. Here we aim to analyze the factors associated with short-term and prolonged hospitalization for COVID-19 during the first three pandemic waves. We conducted a retrospective observational study using data from individuals reported in the e-SUS-VS system who were hospitalized for COVID-19 in a state in a southeast state of Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
Goldman School of Public Policy and Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Behaviorally informed "nudges" are widely used in government outreach but are often seen as too modest to address poverty at scale. In four field experiments over 2 y ( = 542,804 low-income households), we test whether more proactive communication, varying message framing, and more precise targeting can boost take-up of tax-based benefits in California above and beyond traditional light-touch approaches. Our interventions focused on extremely vulnerable households, most with no prior-year earnings, who were at risk of missing out on two crucial benefits: the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit and pandemic-relief Economic Impact Payments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJAMA Netw Open
September 2025
Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Importance: Long COVID (ie, post-COVID-19 condition) is a substantial public health concern, and its association with health-related social needs, such as food insecurity, remains poorly understood. Identifying modifiable risk factors like food insecurity and interventions like food assistance programs is critical for reducing the health burden of long COVID.
Objective: To investigate the association of food insecurity with long COVID and to assess the modifying factors of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation and employment status.