Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33971843›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2021

Epidemiological characteristics of the COVID-19 spring outbreak in Quebec, Canada: a population-based study.

Rodolphe Jantzen, Nolwenn Noisel, Sophie Camilleri-Broët, Catherine Labbé, Thibault de Malliard, Yves Payette, Philippe Broët

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 37% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Rodolphe JantzenCARTaGENE, CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, H3T1C5, Canada. rodolphe.jantzen@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1356-238X
Nolwenn NoiselCARTaGENE, CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, H3T1C5, Canada.
Sophie Camilleri-BroëtMcGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Catherine LabbéCARTaGENE, CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, H3T1C5, Canada.
Thibault de MalliardCARTaGENE, CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, H3T1C5, Canada.
Yves PayetteCARTaGENE, CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, H3T1C5, Canada.
Philippe BroëtCARTaGENE, CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, 3175 Chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, Montréal, H3T1C5, Canada.
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine · CAHTC (Taiwan) · TWMcGill University · CAUniversité Paris-Sud · FR

Funding

CIHR 447636
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBy mid-July 2020, more than 108,000 COVID-19 cases had been diagnosed in Canada with more than half in the province of Quebec. In this context, we launched a study to analyze the epidemiological characteristics and the socio-economic impact of the spring outbreak in the population.

methodWe conducted an online survey of the participants of the CARTaGENE population-based cohort, composed of middle-aged and older adults. We collected information on socio-demographic, lifestyle, health condition, COVID-19 related symptoms and COVID-19 testing. We studied the association between these factors and two outcomes: the status of having been tested for SARS-CoV-2 and the status of having received a positive test. These associations were measured with univariate and multivariate analyses using a hybrid tree-based regression model.

resultsAmong the 8,129 respondents from the CARTaGENE cohort, 649 were tested for COVID-19 and 41 were positive. Medical workers and individuals having a contact with a COVID-19 patient had the highest probabilities of being tested (32% and 42.4%, respectively) and of being positive (17.2% and 13.0%, respectively) among those tested. Approximately 8% of the participants declared that they have experienced at least one of the four COVID-19 related symptoms chosen by the Public Health authorities (fever, cough, dyspnea, anosmia) but were not tested. Results from the tree-based model analyses adjusted on exposure factors showed that the combination of dyspnea, dry cough and fever was highly associated with being tested whereas anosmia, fever, and headache were the most discriminant factors for having a positive test among those tested. During the spring outbreak, more than one third of the participants have experienced a decrease in access to health services. There were gender and age differences in the socio-economic and emotional impacts of the pandemic.

conclusionWe have shown some discrepancies between the symptoms associated with being tested and being positive. In particular, the anosmia is a major discriminant symptom for positivity whereas ear-nose-throat symptoms seem not to be COVID-19 related. The results also emphasize the need of increasing the accessibility of testing for the general population.

Indexed as

PandemicsCOVID-19Disease OutbreaksFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedQuebecRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesCARTaGENECoronavirusCOVID-19PandemicPopulation-based cohortSARS-CoV-2Social factorsTree-based model

Identifiers

PMID33971843
PMCPMC8107425
OpenAlexW3162653082

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.