Study of the spread of COVID-19 in St Petersburg, Russia
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN11060415 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11060415 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT) | NCT04406038 |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | Nil known |
| Protocol serial number | CDRU-001 |
| Sponsor | European University at Saint Petersburg |
| Funders | European University at Saint Petersburg, Clinic “Scandinavia” (LLC Ava-Peter) |
- Submission date
- 26/05/2020
- Registration date
- 28/05/2020
- Last edited
- 14/06/2023
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Infections and Infestations
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
COVID-19 is a condition caused by the coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2) that was first identified in late 2019. This virus can infect the respiratory (breathing) system. Some people do not have symptoms but can carry the virus and pass it on to others. People who have developed the condition may develop a fever and/or a continuous cough among other symptoms. This can develop into pneumonia. Pneumonia is a chest infection where the small air pockets of the lungs, called alveoli, fill with liquid and make it more difficult to breathe.
In 2020, the virus has spread to many countries around the world and neither a vaccine against the virus or specific treatment for COVID-19 has yet been developed. As of April 2020, it is advised that people minimize travel and social contact, and regularly wash their hands to reduce the spread of the virus.
Groups who are at a higher risk from infection with the virus, and therefore of developing COVID-19, include people aged over 70 years, people who have long-term health conditions (such as asthma or diabetes), people who have a weakened immune system and people who are pregnant. People in these groups, and people who might come into contact with them, can reduce this risk by following the up-to-date advice to reduce the spread of the virus.
As of late May 2020, Russia is one of the countries with the highest number of registered COVID-19 cases. Surveillance of specific antibodies (immunity) present in the blood will enable researchers to infer the extent of infection and its prevalence in the study population. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 using blood tests for immunity, that will determine if the person was infected or not. This study also aims to determine the time period when this immunity lasts.
Who can participate?
At least 1000 individuals, 18 years old and older, both genders, will be invited at random. In this study, volunteers are not recruited, but are invited randomly from the population of St Petersburg. Random sampling is performed by a survey company on the list of mobile phone numbers with designated geography prefixes of St Petersburg.
What does the study involve?
This study involves an individual invitation to the clinic by mobile phone, one phone-based survey (takes about 10 minutes to complete), one paper-based survey (takes about 15-20 minutes to complete). The questionnaire for the computer-assisted telephone interview includes travel history, medical history, and socioeconomic status of the respondents. Sampled individuals are then invited to the clinic for blood sampling, their refusal to participate is recorded. Participants complete additional questionnaires in the clinic providing information on their medical history, history of allergies, chronic disease, smoking, and medication taken regularly. Contact tracing data and environmental conditions of the household are reсorded. The study involves blood samples collected from the vein and then testing for SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
There are no clear benefits for the participants of the study. No clinical decision is made based on the test result. The knowledge of prior COVID-19 is acquired but it cannot be interpreted as immunity against future SARS-CoV-2 infection. In general, participants will contribute to the knowledge of disease spread and immune response dynamics. Blood sampling is a procedure that involves skin puncture and may be uncomfortable, it can cause mild bruising, and in rare cases infections. However, serious adverse events associated with this procedure are extremely rare.
Where is the study run from?
Clinic “Scandinavia” (LLC Ava-Peter) (Russia)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2020 to October 2020
Who is funding the study?
1. European University at Saint Petersburg (Russia)
2. Clinic “Scandinavia” (LLC Ava-Peter) (Russia)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Dmitriy Skougarevskiy
dskougarevskiy@eu.spb.ru
Contact information
Scientific
6/1A Gagarinskaya ul.
St. Petersburg
191187
Russian Federation
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-4022-6210 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +7 (0)8123867637 |
| dskougarevskiy@eu.spb.ru |
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Study design | Observational longitudinal cohort study |
| Secondary study design | Cohort study |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | A population-based seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies among adults in St Petersburg, Russia: a longitudinal cohort study |
| Study objectives | This is an observational epidemiological study seeking to evaluate the spread and dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 in a major Russian city with alleviated sample selection problems arising out of volunteer bias in the midst of the pandemic. |
| Ethics approval(s) | 1. Approved 20/05/2020, Commission on Academic Planning of the European University at St Petersburg (6/1A Gagarinskaya ul., 191187 St Petersburg, Russia; no tel; knp@eu.spb.ru), no ref 2. Approved 26/05/2020, Local Ethics Committee of Scandinavia clinic (LLC AVA-PETER, 4 korp. 1 Ilushina ul., 197372 St Petersburg, Russia; +7 (0)8126007870; Udina-NM@avaclinic.ru), no ref |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) |
| Intervention | Clinically asymptomatic adults are sampled from the population using random digit dialing and tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in the blood serum. Additional data is collected on travel history, medical history, and socio-economic status of participants. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Current primary outcome measure as of 14/08/2020: |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Current secondary outcome measures as of 14/08/2020: |
| Completion date | 28/10/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | All |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Lower age limit | 18 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 1000 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Individuals sampled from the population of St Petersburg, Russia using random digit dialling 2. Aged 18 and older of both genders 3. Asymptomatic at the time of blood draw 4. Written informed consent for a blood draw, SARS-COV-2 antibody test, and data collection |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Presence of fever or cough or respiratory distress at the time of blood test not attributable to other known chronic disease 2. Age under 18 3. Any health condition that may be a contraindication towards blood sampling in outpatient clinic 4. Residence in Kolpinskiy, Kurortniy, Krasnoselsky, Kronshtadtskiy, Petrodvorcoviy, Pushkinskiy districts of St Petersburg |
| Date of first enrolment | 27/05/2020 |
| Date of final enrolment | 10/06/2020 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Russian Federation
Study participating centre
St Petersburg
196084
Russian Federation
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Stored in publicly available repository |
| IPD sharing plan | Anonymized individual-level phone survey data and paper-based survey data, anonymized test results, and analytic code are available in a designated repository at https://github.com/eusporg/spb_covid_study20 under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 12/06/2021 | 14/06/2023 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | 21/06/2021 | 14/06/2023 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | 15/06/2022 | 14/06/2023 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | 22/09/2022 | 14/06/2023 | Yes | No | |
| Dataset | 14/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Preprint results | non-peer-reviewed results in preprint | 04/11/2020 | 16/03/2021 | No | No |
| Protocol file | version V2 | 15/07/2020 | 14/08/2020 | No | No |
Additional files
- ISRCTN11060415_PROTOCOL_V2_15Jul20.pdf
- Uploaded 14/08/2020
Editorial Notes
14/06/2023: Publication references and dataset added.
16/03/2021: Preprint reference added.
21/08/2020: IPD sharing statement added.
14/08/2020: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The target number of participants was changed from 1550 to 1000.
2. The primary and secondary outcome measures were updated.
3. Uploaded protocol Version 2, 15 July 2020.
26/05/2020: Trial's existence confirmed by Commission on Academic Planning of the European University at St Petersburg.
