Table 1 Thematic areas of research on COVID-19 for prioritization
Thematic area | Research that | Subthemes |
|---|---|---|
Epidemiology | Improves our ability to monitor and predict the epidemic and provides evidence to inform public health interventions | •Burden, risk factors •Dynamics of disease transmission |
Clinical | Helps describe the full clinical spectrum of COVID-19 including its impact on other organs, and improves diagnosis, chemoprophylaxis and clinical management of patients | •Clinical characteristics and management •Therapeutics and diagnostics •Impact on mental, psychological health |
Basic sciences | Improves our understanding of the disease process and aids product development (vaccines, diagnostics and drugs) | •Pathophysiology of disease •Immunology •Product development |
Health system | Assists in identifying measures that improve access to the health system and ensures the safety of health workers, and also includes assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on health services or programmes and mitigation measures adopted | •Protection of healthcare workers and infection control in health settings •Service provision including vaccine supply and distribution •Primary healthcare •Impact on other diseases and their control |
Public health and social measures | Helps evaluate the usefulness of public health interventions in COVID-19 prevention | •Surveillance and contact tracing •Non-pharmaceutical interventions •Vaccination strategy •Risk communication •Evaluation of legislative approaches |
Socioeconomic and equity-related | Helps us understand the impact of COVID-19 on social, economic and equity aspects to plan appropriate interventions | •Community-based approaches •Equity and ethical aspects •Economic impact |
Pandemic preparedness | Enables us to strengthen systems to better respond to a “future” pandemic | •Human–animal interface and risk reduction •International reporting/sharing of information •Health system resilience |