Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34711190›Full record

ArticleBMC infectious diseases2021

COVID-19 underreporting and its impact on vaccination strategies.

Vinicius Albani, Jennifer Loria, Eduardo Massad, Jorge Zubelli

Abstract read
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 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  15. Accuracy of US CDC COVID-19 forecasting models.Frontiers in public health · 2024
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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

4 authors.

Vinicius AlbaniDepartment of Mathematics, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil.
Jennifer LoriaInstituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Eduardo MassadSchool of Applied Mathematics, Fundação Getúlio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Jorge ZubelliMathematics Department, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. jorge.zubelli@ku.ac.ae.

Funding

Lacrimal Gland Repair Using Progenitor CellsR01EY026202 · NEI · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · PI MAKARENKOVA, HELEN P. · 2016 to 2025
$5.2M
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico - CNPq 305544/2011-0Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico - CNPq 307873/2013-7Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo `a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro E-26/202.927/2017Instituto Butanta 01/2020Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) OAICE-CAB-02-022-2016
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUnderreporting cases of infectious diseases poses a major challenge in the analysis of their epidemiological characteristics and dynamical aspects. Without accurate numerical estimates it is difficult to precisely quantify the proportions of severe and critical cases, as well as the mortality rate. Such estimates can be provided for instance by testing the presence of the virus. However, during an ongoing epidemic, such tests' implementation is a daunting task. This work addresses this issue by presenting a methodology to estimate underreported infections based on approximations of the stable rates of hospitalization and death.

methodsWe present a novel methodology for the stable rate estimation of hospitalization and death related to the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) using publicly available reports from various distinct communities. These rates are then used to estimate underreported infections on the corresponding areas by making use of reported daily hospitalizations and deaths. The impact of underreporting infections on vaccination strategies is estimated under different disease-transmission scenarios using a Susceptible-Exposed-Infective-Removed-like (SEIR) epidemiological model.

resultsFor the considered locations, during the period of study, the estimations suggest that the number of infected individuals could reach 30% of the population of these places, representing, in some cases, more than six times the observed numbers. These results are in close agreement with estimates from independent seroprevalence studies, thus providing a strong validation of the proposed methodology. Moreover, the presence of large numbers of underreported infections can reduce the perceived impact of vaccination strategies in reducing rates of mortality and hospitalization.

conclusionspBy using the proposed methodology and employing a judiciously chosen data analysis implementation, we estimate COVID-19 underreporting from publicly available data. This leads to a powerful way of quantifying underreporting impact on the efficacy of vaccination strategies. As a byproduct, we evaluate the impact of underreporting in the designing of vaccination strategies.

Indexed as

COVID-19HospitalizationHumansSARS-CoV-2Seroepidemiologic StudiesVaccinationEpidemiological modelsNumerical simulationStable rates of hospitalization and deathUnderreported infectionsUnderreporting estimationVaccination strategies

Identifiers

PMID34711190
PMCPMC8552982

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.