Document text
Principal Investigator: Eida Maria Castro
Organization: PONCE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Fiscal Year: 2021
Award: $1,427,381
Funding agency: National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
PROJECT ABSTRACT
In Puerto Rico (PR), the first COVID-19 case was confirmed early March 2020. To date cases have exponentially increased
partly due to the lifting of locked-down restriction by the PR government, limited COVID-19 testing, and contact tracing. Puerto
Ricans living on the island are particularly vulnerable to the current overlapping of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural
disasters (earthquake, hurricanes/storms). Limited access to molecular COVID-19 testing throughout PR has been a
significant challenge. Without adequate testing, estimates for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection rates are limited and
targeted prevention efforts (focused testing) may hinder. A group of epidemiologists led by Dr. Marzán (MPI) developed a
web-based COVID-19 Epidemiologic Surveillance System (ESSS) in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Public Health Trust
(PRPHT, community partner for this grant) with more than 46,000 surveys completed. The ESSS tool is an online geocoded
survey that identifies real-time data of COVID-19 signs and symptoms during the last 24 hours; and thus, prioritizes
communities for COVID-19 testing. Leveraging the current PHSU-PRI COVID-19 prevention efforts and the ESSS
infrastructure, the research team will test the preliminary impact of an epidemic intelligence (EpI-Net) community-based
intervention aimed at increasing COVID-19 testing uptake and prevention practices among socially vulnerable communities
in PR. The working hypothesis is that the integration of lay community leaders, trained in the use of COVID-19 prevention
technology tools (EpI-Net), will result in increased COVID-19 testing uptake and prevention practices among the targeted
socially and epidemiologically vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico. This highly innovative and impactful study will shift
current COVID-19 prevention strategies by 1) establishing an epidemic intelligence infrastructure using a technology-based
COVID-19 syndromic surveillance (ESSS) platform to identify in real time potential COVID-19 outbreaks and, thus, conduct
targeted COVID-19 testing, 2) by implementing a population-based COVID-19 prevention intervention (EpI-Net) co-led by
epidemiologists and lay community leaders trained as health promotors.
Terms: <2019 novel corona virus><2019 novel coronavirus><2019-nCoV><AIDS Virus><Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Virus><Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus><Address><Adherence><Adopted><Adoption><Affect><Application Context><Arboviral><Arboviruses><Arthropod-Borne Viruses><Behavior><Belief><Biological><Blood Sample><Blood Tests><Blood specimen><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 disparity><COVID-19 early detection><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 infection><COVID-19 outbreak><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 positive><COVID-19 positivity><COVID-19 prevention><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 testing><COVID-19 virus><COVID19><COVID19 crisis><COVID19 disparity><COVID19 early detection><COVID19 epidemic><COVID19 global health crisis><COVID19 global pandemic><COVID19 health crisis><COVID19 infection><COVID19 outbreak><COVID19 pandemic><COVID19 positive><COVID19 positivity><COVID19 prevention><COVID19 public health crisis><COVID19 testing><COVID19 virus><CV-19><CV19><Chronic><Chronic Disease><Chronic Illness><Clinical><CoV-2><CoV2><Collaborations><Communicable Disease Contact Tracing><Communities><Community Health><Community Networks><Contact Tracing><Data><Data Analyses><Data Analysis><Dengue><Diabetes Mellitus><Diagnostic Findings><Disease><Disease Outcome><Disorder><Earthquakes><Economics><Education><Educational aspects><Epidemic><Epidemiologic Monitoring><Epidemiologic Research><Epidemiologic Studies><Epidemiologic surveillance><Epidemiological Monitoring><Epidemiological Studies><Epidemiological surveillance><Epidemiologist><Epidemiology><Epidemiology Research><Epidemiology Surveillance><Future><Government><Grant><HIV><Health><Health Promotion><Health Promotion and Education><Health Promotion and Instruction><Health Promotion and Training><Health Sciences><Health system><Hematologic Tests><Hematological Tests><Hematology Testing><High Prevalence><Hour><Human Immunodeficiency Viruses><Hurricane><Hypertension><Immune Markers><Immunologic Markers><Individual><Infectious Disease Contact Tracing><Infrastructure><Intelligence><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Interview><Investigation><Island><LAV-HTLV-III><Lead><Lifting><Link><Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus><Lymphocyte Count><Lymphocyte Number><Melissa><Methods><Minority-Serving Institution><Molecular><NIH><National Institutes of Health><Natural Disasters><Obesity><On-Line Systems><Online Systems><Outcome><Participant><Patients><Pb element><Prevalence><Preventative intervention><Preventative strategy><Prevention><Prevention education><Prevention strategy><Preventive strategy><Process><Public Health><Puerto Rican><Puerto Rico><RADx Underserved Populations><RADx-UP><Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations><Research><Research Institute><SARS corona virus 2><SARS-CoV-2><SARS-CoV-2 early detection><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 infection><SARS-CoV-2 outbreak><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 positive><SARS-CoV-2 positivity><SARS-CoV-2 testing><SARS-CoV2><SARS-CoV2 epidemic><SARS-CoV2 infection><SARS-CoV2 outbreak><SARS-CoV2 pandemic><SARS-associated corona virus 2><SARS-associated coronavirus 2><SARS-coronavirus-2><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><SARS-related corona virus 2><SARS-related coronavirus 2><SARSCoV2><Salutogenesis><Sampling><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Corona Virus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-associated coronavirus 2><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome associated corona virus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 positive><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 positivity><Severe acute respiratory syndrome related corona virus 2><Signs and Symptoms><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Symptoms><System><Technology><Testing><Time><Total Lymphocyte Count><Training><Training and Infrastructure><Trust><United States National Institutes of Health><Universities><Vascular Hypertensive Disease><Vascular Hypertensive Disorder><Virus-HIV><Vulnerable Populations><World Health Organization><Wuhan coronavirus><ZIKA><adiposity><base><chronic disorder><community engagement><community intervention><community-based health><contextual factors><corona virus disease 2019><corona virus disease 2019 epidemic><corona virus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 disparity><coronavirus disease 2019 early detection><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 infection><coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 positive><coronavirus disease 2019 positivity><coronavirus disease 2019 prevention><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 testing><coronavirus disease 2019 virus><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><corpulence><cytokine><data interpretation><diabetes><epidemiologic><epidemiologic investigation><epidemiological><epidemiology study><ethnic minority><ethnic minority population><hCoV19><heavy metal Pb><heavy metal lead><high blood pressure><hyperpiesia><hyperpiesis><hypertensive disease><immune-based biomarkers><immunological biomarkers><immunological markers><infected with COVID-19><infected with COVID19><infected with SARS-CoV-2><infected with SARS-CoV2><infected with coronavirus disease 2019><infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><infection rate><innovate><innovation><innovative><intervention for prevention><interventional strategy><member><minority institution><nCoV2><online computer><outreach><pandemic><pandemic disease><population based><post intervention><prevent COVID-19><prevent COVID19><prevent coronavirus disease 2019><prevention intervention><preventional intervention strategy><preventive intervention><primary outcome><programs><promoter><promoting health><promotor><public health emergency><racial minority><rate of infection><severe acute respiratory distress syndrome coronavirus 2 early detection><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 testing><social><social vulnerability><symptomatology><syndromic surveillance><testing access><testing uptake><tool><uptake><vulnerable group><web based><web site><website>