Cohort Profile: A national prospective cohort study of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outcomes in the U.S. - The CHASING COVID Cohort Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose The CHASING COVID Cohort study is a U.S.-based prospective cohort study launched during the upswing of the U.S. COVID-19 epidemic. The objectives are to: 1) estimate and evaluate determinants of the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, disease, and deaths; 2) assess the impact of the pandemic on psychosocial and economic outcomes; and 3) assess the uptake of pandemic mitigation strategies. Participants We began enrolling participants March 28, 2020 using internet-based strategies. Adults ≥18 years residing anywhere in the U.S. or U.S. territories were eligible. 6,753 people are enrolled in the cohort, including participants from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Participants are contacted regularly to complete study assessments, including interviews and specimen collection. Findings to date Of 4,247 participants who provided a specimen for baseline serologic testing, 135 were seropositive by screening antibody testing (3.2%, 95% CI 2.7%-3.5%) and 90 were seropositive by confirmatory antibody testing (2.1%, 95% CI 1.7%-2.6%). Cohort data have been used to assess the role of household crowding and the presence of children in the household as potential risk factors for severe COVID-19 early in the U.S. pandemic; to describe the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and its relationship to COVID-19 outcomes and other potential stressors; and to identify preferences for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic testing when community transmission is on the rise via a discrete choice experiment. Future plans The CHASING COVID Cohort Study has outlined a research agenda that involves ongoing monitoring of the cumulative incidence and determinants of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes, mental health outcomes and economic outcomes. Additional priorities include COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, uptake and effectiveness; incidence, prevalence and correlates of long-haul COVID-19; and the extent and duration of the protective effect of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.