Epidemic surveillance of Covid-19: considering uncertainty and under-ascertainment

ABSTRACT - Epidemic surveillance is a fundamental part of public health practice. Addressing under-ascertainment of cases is relevant in most surveillance systems, especially in pandemics of new diseases with a large spectrum of clinical presentations as it may influence timings of policy implementa...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor principal: Peixoto, Vasco Ricoca (author)
Outros Autores: Nunes, Carla (author), Abrantes, Alexandre (author)
Formato: article
Idioma:eng
Publicado em: 2021
Assuntos:
Texto completo:http://hdl.handle.net/10362/113418
País:Portugal
Oai:oai:run.unl.pt:10362/113418
Descrição
Resumo:ABSTRACT - Epidemic surveillance is a fundamental part of public health practice. Addressing under-ascertainment of cases is relevant in most surveillance systems, especially in pandemics of new diseases with a large spectrum of clinical presentations as it may influence timings of policy implementation and public risk perception. From this perspective, this article presents and discusses early evidence on under-ascertainment of COVID-19 and its motifs, options for surveillance, and reflections around their importance to tailor public health measures. In the case of COVID-19, systematically addressing and estimating under-ascertainment of cases is essential to tailor timely public health measures, and communicating these findings is of the utmost importance for policy making and public perception.