COVID-19: DISinFECT - version 3.2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
COVID-19: Direct versus Indirect Spread in Facilities for Elderly Care sTudy
IRAS ID
289743
Contact name
Rachel Kwiatkowska
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Public Health England
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care home population is of grave concern: according to the Office of National Statistics over 8,000 deaths were reported in care homes over the first 3 months of the UK outbreak. We need to improve our understanding of how the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads into and within care homes, to improve surveillance and inform measures to protect this vulnerable population.
This study will take place in care homes in South West England. Immediately after a COVID-19 case is reported, the study team will work with the local Health Protection Team (HPT) and the care home management to take an extended set of samples as part of outbreak control activity.
Nose/ throat swabs, fingertip swabs, saliva and stool will be taken from up to 5 initial cases. In addition, individuals who are living or working in the facility will have swabs taken from their nose/ throat and fingertips. Sampling will occur on day 0, day 7 and day 14 after the first case was notified.In parallel with clinical sampling, environmental swabs and air samples will be taken from the bedrooms, bathrooms and common-touch items around each confirmed case of COVID-19. We will also sample communal areas and staff-only areas within the home, and take sewage samples. All viral genetic material (RNA) recovered from these samples will be genetically sequenced.
We will combine sample results with information about the care home environment and the people living and working there, to give a detailed picture of where the virus can be found and start to develop theories about how we can detect it early and prevent it from spreading in care homes.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/HRA/4836
Date of REC Opinion
1 Dec 2020
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion