The COVID HOME Study: Prospective Cohort Study of Non-hospitalised COVID-19 Patients

Overview

Background. Guidelines on COVID-19 management are developed as we learn from this pandemic. However, most research has been done on hospitalised patients and the impact of the disease on non-hospitalised and their role in transmission are not yet well understood. The COVID HOME study conducts research among COVID-19 patients and their family members who were not hospitalised during acute disease, to guide patient care and inform public health guidelines for infection prevention and control in the community and household. Methods. An ongoing prospective longitudinal observational study of COVID-19 outpatients was established in March 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands. Laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals of all ages that did not merit hospitalisation, and their household (HH) members, were enrolled after written informed consent. Enrolled participants were visited at home within 48 hours after initial diagnosis, and then weekly on days 7, 14 and 21 to obtain clinical data, a blood sample for biochemical parameters/cytokines and serological determination; and a nasopharyngeal/throat swab plus urine, stool and sperm or vaginal secretion (if consenting) to test for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR (viral shedding) and for viral culturing. Weekly nasopharyngeal/throat swabs and stool samples, plus a blood sample on days 0 and 21 were also taken from HH members to determine whether and when they became infected. All participants were invited to continue follow-up at 3-, 6-, 12- and 18-months post-infection to assess long-term sequelae and immunological status.

An ongoing prospective longitudinal observational study of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals that did not require hospitalisation and their HH members was initiated on March 2020, at the start of the pandemic in the Netherlands. Enrolled individuals comprised the identified laboratory COVID-19 index positive patients plus all their HH members. The average number of HH inhabitants in the Netherlands and the northern region is 2.14 \[44\], thus for each enrolled patient we expected to enrol an average of 1-2 HH members in addition. Patients were followed daily at home approximately during 3 weeks post-infection to characterize their acute clinical phenotype, and are currently being followed at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months to determine their long-term clinical and serological evolution. During the follow-up, clinical data and different types of samples were/are collected, as described below.