Long-term health impacts of COVID-19 among 242,712 adults in England.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a lasting impact on health and well-being. We compare current self-reported health, quality of life and symptom profiles for people with ongoing symptoms following COVID-19 to those who have never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection and those who have recovered from COVID-19. Overall, 276,840/800,000 (34·6%) of invited participants took part.

Characteristics and predictors of persistent symptoms post-COVID-19 in children and young people: a large community cross-sectional study in England.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of, and associated risk factors for, persistent symptoms post-COVID-19 among children aged 5-17 years in England.

Design: Serial cross-sectional study.

Setting: Rounds 10-19 (March 2021 to March 2022) of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 study (monthly cross-sectional surveys of random samples of the population in England).

Awareness and perceptions of Long COVID among people in the REACT programme: Early insights from a pilot interview study.

Background: Long COVID is a patient-made term describing new or persistent symptoms experienced following SARS-CoV-2 infection. The Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission-Long COVID (REACT-LC) study aims to understand variation in experiences following infection, and to identify biological, social, and environmental factors associated with Long COVID. We undertook a pilot interview study to inform the design, recruitment approach, and topic guide for the REACT-LC qualitative study.

Validity of Self-testing at Home With Rapid Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Antibody Detection by Lateral Flow Immunoassay.

Background: We explore severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) performance under field conditions compared to laboratory-based electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and live virus neutralization.

Methods: In July 2021, 3758 participants performed, at home, a self-administered Fortress LFIA on finger-prick blood, reported and submitted a photograph of the result, and provided a self-collected capillary blood sample for assessment of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using the Roche Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 ECLIA. We compared the self-reported LFIA result to the quantitative ECLIA and checked the reading of the LFIA result with an automated image analysis (ALFA).

Machine learning to support visual auditing of home-based lateral flow immunoassay self-test results for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Background: Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) are being used worldwide for COVID-19 mass testing and antibody prevalence studies. Relatively simple to use and low cost, these tests can be self-administered at home, but rely on subjective interpretation of a test line by eye, risking false positives and false negatives. Here, we report on the development of ALFA (Automated Lateral Flow Analysis) to improve reported sensitivity and specificity.

Risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome after COVID-19 vaccination prior to the recognition of vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis: A self-controlled case series study in England.

Background: Several studies have found increased risks of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) following the ChAdOx1 vaccination. However, case ascertainment is often incomplete in large electronic health record (EHR)-based studies.

Objectives: To assess for an association between clinically validated TTS and COVID-19 vaccination.

Modern contraceptive use among unmarried girls aged 15-19 years in South Western Nigeria: results from a cross-sectional baseline survey for the Adolescent 360 (A360) impact evaluation.

Purpose: Adolescents 360 (A360) is an initiative being rolled out across Nigeria with the aim of increasing voluntary modern contraception use among women aged 15 to 19 years. Using evaluation study baseline data, we identified sexuality, fertility and contraceptive use characteristics of young unmarried girls in South Western Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional baseline survey of unmarried girls aged 15 to 19 years was conducted in Ogun state, Nigeria in August 2017.

Clinical and laboratory evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 lateral flow assays for use in a national COVID-19 seroprevalence survey.

Background: Accurate antibody tests are essential to monitor the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) can deliver testing at scale. However, reported performance varies, and sensitivity analyses have generally been conducted on serum from hospitalised patients.

Modern contraceptive use among sexually active women aged 15-19 years in North-Western Tanzania: results from the Adolescent 360 (A360) baseline survey.

Objectives: To describe differences in modern contraceptive use among adolescent women aged 15-19 years according to their marital status and to determine factors associated with modern contraceptive use among sexually active women in this population.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of Adolescent 360 evaluation baseline survey.

Setting: The 15 urban and semiurban wards of Ilemela district, Mwanza region, North-Western Tanzania.

Effectiveness of oral rotavirus vaccination in England against rotavirus-confirmed and all-cause acute gastroenteritis.

Background: The monovalent oral rotavirus vaccine Rotarix® was introduced into the UK infant immunisation programme in 2013. We estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) in the first two years of the programme.

Methods: We used a test-negative case-control design and enhanced national surveillance data for 1869 vaccine-eligible children tested for rotavirus infection to obtain adjusted odds ratios and VE against laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infections.

Sexuality, fertility and family planning characteristics of married women aged 15 to 19 years in Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania: a comparative analysis of cross-sectional data.

Background: Adolescents 360 (A360) is an initiative being rolled out across Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania with the aim of increasing uptake of voluntary modern contraception among sexually active women aged 15 to 19 years. Using evaluation baseline survey data, we described key sexuality, fertility and contraceptive use characteristics of married women aged 15 to 19 years living in three sub-national settings.

Methods: Cross-sectional baseline surveys of married women aged 15 to 19 years were conducted in Oromia (Ethiopia), Nasarawa (Northern Nigeria), and Mwanza (Tanzania) between August 2017 and February 2018.

Evaluating the impact of an intervention to increase uptake of modern contraceptives among adolescent girls (15-19 years) in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania: the Adolescents 360 quasi-experimental study protocol.

Introduction: Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania have some of the highest teenage pregnancy rates and lowest rates of modern contraceptive use among adolescents. The transdisciplinary Adolescents 360 (A360) initiative being rolled out across these three countries uses human-centred design to create context-specific multicomponent interventions with the aim of increasing voluntary modern contraceptive use among girls aged 15-19 years.

Methods: The primary objective of the outcome evaluation is to assess the impact of A360 on the modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) among sexually active girls aged 15-19 years.

Rapid Declines in Age Group-Specific Rotavirus Infection and Acute Gastroenteritis Among Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Individuals Within 1 Year of Rotavirus Vaccine Introduction in England and Wales.

Background: The oral infant rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, was introduced in England and Wales in July 2013. We estimated the impact on laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infections and hospitalizations for all-cause acute gastroenteritis (AGE) during the first year after introduction.

Methods: We extracted data on laboratory-confirmed rotavirus infections (July 2000 through June 2015) and all-cause AGE-associated hospitalizations (July 2007 through June 2014) for all age groups using national databases (LabBase2 and HES).

The UK immunisation schedule: changes to vaccine policy and practice in 2013/14.

Vaccination programmes are implemented either as new vaccines become available or evidence about them accumulates, or in response to specific situations. In the United Kingdom, development and implementation of the national immunisation programme is centrally coordinated and funded by the Department of Health on behalf of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A number of significant changes were made to the UK immunisation schedule for 2013/2014.

Direct and indirect effects of rotavirus vaccination: comparing predictions from transmission dynamic models.

Early observations from countries that have introduced rotavirus vaccination suggest that there may be indirect protection for unvaccinated individuals, but it is unclear whether these benefits will extend to the long term. Transmission dynamic models have attempted to quantify the indirect protection that might be expected from rotavirus vaccination in developed countries, but results have varied. To better understand the magnitude and sources of variability in model projections, we undertook a comparative analysis of transmission dynamic models for rotavirus.