Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39009723›Full record

ArticleCommunications medicine2024

Jointly estimating epidemiological dynamics of Covid-19 from case and wastewater data in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Leighton M Watson, Michael J Plank, Bridget A Armstrong, Joanne R Chapman, Joanne Hewitt, Helen Morris, Alvaro Orsi, Michael Bunce, Christl A Donnelly, Nicholas Steyn

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–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

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
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

10 authors.

Leighton M WatsonSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. leighton.watson@canterbury.ac.nz.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1127-3613
Michael J PlankSchool of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7539-3465
Bridget A ArmstrongInstitute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, Porirua, New Zealand.
Joanne R ChapmanInstitute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, Porirua, New Zealand.
Joanne HewittInstitute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, Porirua, New Zealand.
Helen MorrisInstitute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, Porirua, New Zealand.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-9366-7172
Alvaro OrsiInstitute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, Porirua, New Zealand.
Michael BunceInstitute of Environmental Science and Research Ltd, Porirua, New Zealand.
Christl A DonnellyDepartment of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0195-2463
Nicholas SteynDepartment of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTimely and informed public health responses to infectious diseases such as COVID-19 necessitate reliable information about infection dynamics. The case ascertainment rate (CAR), the proportion of infections that are reported as cases, is typically much less than one and varies with testing practices and behaviours, making reported cases unreliable as the sole source of data. The concentration of viral RNA in wastewater samples provides an alternate measure of infection prevalence that is not affected by clinical testing, healthcare-seeking behaviour or access to care.

methodsWe construct a state-space model with observed data of levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater and reported case incidence and estimate the hidden states of the effective reproduction number, R, and CAR using sequential Monte Carlo methods.

resultsWe analyse data from 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2023 from Aotearoa New Zealand. Our model estimates that R peaks at 2.76 (95% CrI 2.20, 3.83) around 18 February 2022 and the CAR peaks around 12 March 2022. We calculate that New Zealand's second Omicron wave in July 2022 is similar in size to the first, despite fewer reported cases. We estimate that the CAR in the BA.5 Omicron wave in July 2022 is approximately 50% lower than in the BA.1/BA.2 Omicron wave in March 2022.

conclusionsEstimating R, CAR, and cumulative number of infections provides useful information for planning public health responses and understanding the state of immunity in the population. This model is a useful disease surveillance tool, improving situational awareness of infectious disease dynamics in real-time.

Identifiers

PMID39009723
PMCPMC11250817

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.