The Australian government swift interventions and actions early to the COVID 19 epidemicincluded enforced quarantine, isolation, varying degrees of social and physicaldistancing measures, travel restrictions, community level testing and enhanced contacttracing models which effected the trajectory of the epidemic impact. While the search foreffective therapeutics and vaccines continues, it is important to understand how toeffectively implement and optimise the current public health interventions available;application of traditional contact tracing , contributions of new contact tracing mobilephone applications, community level testing and use of specific fit for purposediagnostic tests; to screen, detect and provide evidence of infection clearance. Whilethe suppression measures have been effective on disease transmission rates, it has hadeconomic, social and non COVID-19 health costs impacts. As community restrictions changeit will be important to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these keyinterventions. This is a longitudinal study that will follow the experience and behaviorsof 2 key risk populations impacted by COVID-19 transmission containment measures.
This is a mixed methods longitudinal study of a cohort of 1000 participants for a 12
month period. Victorian adults from three key risk populations will be recruited into two
longitudinal cohort groups. It will follow the experiences and behaviors of the groups;
Recruitment group 1/Seed set 1 - recently diagnosed 'COVID-19 cases' (Group 1) and their
social network with up to 2 waves of /Key people, will be followed up for 1 month
initially with specific monitoring tools before they will transition into ongoing follow
up and monitoring as recruitment group 2
Recruitment group 2/Seed set 2 - people from the general community that are not currently
infected with COVID19 'Group 2' that are practicing physical distancing and represent
specific key risk groups, and their social network with up to 2 waves of Key people.
Oversampling of vulnerable populations including people with disabilities, single parents
and people living alone will be conducted across all groups.
Individuals may be invited to participate in more than one cohort when they change
between risk population definitions.
The project aims to meet the following objectives using a longitudinal cohort design and
a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative tools to enable us to assess changes
within individuals over time and to assess the influence of social networks on their
health, well-being, attitudes and perceptions. To assess the feasibility, acceptability
and implementation of new interventions designed to support a reduction in disease
transmission, including testing strategies, we will recruit a small sub-sample of
participants into a sub-studies that will assess implementation outcomes.
Objectives of the study are:
1. To assess adherence to government intervention strategies (i.e. early testing,
isolation and physical distancing) and identify factors that promote/inhibit
compliance to intervention strategies designed to reduce transmission.
2. To better understand, assess and monitor the unintended health, social and economic
consequences of the government interventions to control COVID-19 transmission
3. To collect and collate empirical data regarding transmissions dynamics, social
contacts and mixing patterns of COVID19 cases , their contacts and key vulnerable
groups to develop and refine mathematical models that will improve the precision and
timeliness of dynamic transmission estimates
4. To test the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of (i) new and existing
diagnostic tests and testing strategies and (ii) new and existing intervention
strategies (therapeutic, behavioural, social) to support early diagnosis and
subsequently reduce transmission.
Inclusion Criteria:
Community participants -
Exclusion Criteria:
Unable to provide consent -
The Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The Peter Doherty Institute for infection and immunity
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Not Provided