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St George’s, University of London Blackshaw Rd, Tooting, London SW17 0QT
periCOVIDAfrica@sgul.ac.uk
+44 208 725 5382

Project Information

Background:

There are currently 104,908,860 cases of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19) in the world, with 2,285,354 deaths, (Report: Jan 2021). Our project aims to look at asymptomatic and symptomatic infection in pregnant women as it has implications for outcomes for women and their babies. In addition, we aim to provide reassurance about safe pregnancy and breastfeeding.

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Objectives:

COVID-19 Surveillance

Develop COVID-19 surveillance in pregnancy in The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda embedded in PREPARE and PRECISE cohort studies.

Seroepidemiology

Estimate the seroepidemiology of COVID-19 infection among pregnant women.

South-South Partnership

To develop a partnership between the sites.

Effectiveness

Create the necessary data to share with vaccine manufacturers when vaccine trials are prepared.

Public engagement

Develop a strategy for patient and public involvement, communications and capacity strengthening, stakeholder engagement (both internal and external) and the communication and dissemination of outputs and results related to COVID-19, including training on communications for researchers.

Work Package 1

Project Management and Scientific Coordination

Ensure conduct of all science activities is of highest standards, with a particular focus on risk and innovation management, given the impact of the current pandemic. WP1 will therefore provide the foundations for the successful implementation of a complex programme of research within a network of activities and partners from the South - South partnership.

Work Package 2

COVID-19 surveillance and seroepidemiology in pregnant women in five African nations

Establish the seroepidemiology of COVID-19 disease in The Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda within existing PRECISE and PREPARE cohorts and longitudinally sample women and their infants to assess transmission and immunity to COVID-19.

Work Package 3

Communications, networking and dissemination

Develop a strategy for patient and public involvement, communications, capacity strengthening and stakeholder engagement. We will work together with our partners to complement and extend the existing comprehensive programme of patient engagement around COVID-19 that can build on the existing cohort studies and in the design of the clinical components and patient-facing documents, including training on communications for researchers. We will conduct a qualitative study to be conducted among service providers, program managers, community opinion leaders and pregnant women to explore the lived experiences of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Since SARS-CoV-2 is a pathogen with many potential routes of transmissibility, we will also explore the current infection control practices at sites by interviewing key informants sitting on the hospital infection control board.

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