Wealth of data
‘They also map out the long-term consequences of Covid-19 and the research should help to be better prepared for future pandemics,’ says the UMCG. By sharing data from population studies and other cohorts from the different countries, the researchers will have access to a wealth of information about both SARS-CoV-2 infected and non-infected persons of all ages and with various other conditions. This provides the researchers with information that will enable us to better protect the population in general, and particularly vulnerable groups in the future, during a pandemic and reduce the risks for primary health workers.
Long term consequences
They will also map the long-term consequences of Covid-19 for the health and well-being of individuals, study how many people are vaccinated and what the effects are, and look at the impact of environmental factors, socio-economic factors and lifestyle. – and lockdown measures on the spread of Covid-19.
Better prepared for future threats
Alex Friedrich, head of the Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention Department at the UMCG: ‘This research offers us much-needed answers to respond well to the current coronavirus pandemic, but also the opportunity to learn lessons from the current crisis, so that we are better prepared for new and future threats to public health of comparable magnitude. ‘
20 million euros from the EU
The research is funded by the European Union, which has made nearly 20 million euros available. The UMCG is participating in the project with a team of interdisciplinary researchers from the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention and the Department of Genetics. Together they will bring in their diverse local, regional and international COVID-19 cohorts.
EMA
In collaboration with the European Commission, the research team will liaise with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), particularly on making real-time data available that can directly help address the current corona pandemic.
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