Understanding and responding to COVID-19 in Wales: protocol for a privacy-protecting data platform for enhanced epidemiology and evaluation of interventions. Issue 10 (21st October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lyons, Jane; Akbari, Ashley; Torabi, Fatemeh; Davies, Gareth I; North, Laura; Griffiths, Rowena; Bailey, Rowena; Hollinghurst, Joseph; Fry, Richard; Turner, Samantha L; Thompson, Daniel; Rafferty, James; Mizen, Amy; Orton, Chris; Thompson, Simon; Au-Yeung, Lee; Cross, Lynsey; Gravenor, Mike B; Brophy, Sinead; Lucini, Biagio; John, Ann; Szakmany, Tamas; Davies, Jan; Davies, Chris; Thomas, Daniel Rh; Williams, Christopher; Emmerson, Chris; Cottrell, Simon; Connor, Thomas R; Taylor, Chris; Pugh, Richard J; Diggle, Peter; John, Gareth; Scourfield, Simon; Hunt, Joe; Cunningham, Anne M; Helliwell, Kathryn; Lyons, Ronan;
• Is Part Of: BMJ open. Volume 10:Issue 10(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-10-21
• Subjects: COVID-19 -- epidemiology -- public health -- health informatics; Medicine -- Research -- Periodicals; 610.72
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2044-6055

Abstract

Abstract : Introduction: The emergence of the novel respiratory SARS-CoV-2 and subsequent COVID-19 pandemic have required rapid assimilation of population-level data to understand and control the spread of infection in the general and vulnerable populations. Rapid analyses are needed to inform policy development and target interventions to at-risk groups to prevent serious health outcomes. We aim to provide an accessible research platform to determine demographic, socioeconomic and clinical risk factors for infection, morbidity and mortality of COVID-19, to measure the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare utilisation and long-term health, and to enable the evaluation of natural experiments of policy interventions. Methods and analysis: Two privacy-protecting population-level cohorts have been created and derived from multisourced demographic and healthcare data. The C20 cohort consists of 3.2 million people in Wales on the 1 January 2020 with follow-up until 31 May 2020. The complete cohort dataset will be updated monthly with some individual datasets available daily. The C16 cohort consists of 3 million people in Wales on the 1 January 2016 with follow-up to 31 December 2019. C16 is designed as a counterfactual cohort to provide contextual comparative population data on disease, health service utilisation and mortality. Study outcomes will: (a) characterise the epidemiology of COVID-19, (b) assess socioeconomic and demographic influences on infection and outcomes, (c) measure the impact of COVID-19 on short -term and longer-term population outcomes and (d) undertake studies on the transmission and spatial spread of infection. Ethics and dissemination: The Secure Anonymised Information Linkage-independent Information Governance Review Panel has approved this study. The study findings will be presented to policy groups, public meetings, national and international conferences, and published in peer-reviewed journals.