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Abstract:
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TRACE-COVID-19 is an Oregon State University public health project designed to gather information about the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in communities. TRACE (Team-based Rapid Assessment of community-level Coronavirus Epidemics) uses random sampling to understand the prevalence of the virus, rather than using clinically reported cases which are subject to biases. In this talk, we provide an overview of a targeted random door-to-door sampling method informed by community wastewater measurements we developed that was implemented in two communities in Oregon in 2021. The sampling design is a three-stage design with strata informed by microsewershed boundaries, clusters corresponding to one or more adjacent census blocks selected with probability proportional to size, and systematic sampling of housing units within clusters. The details of the design, data requirements for implementation, design-based analysis strategies, and results will be discussed. This design is intended to allow the allocation of field teams collecting nasal swabs such that an unbiased prevalence estimate can be obtained while attempting to discover positive individuals.
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