CON-VINCE (COvid-19 National survey for assessing VIral spread by Non-affected CarriErs) is a national project aiming to evaluate the dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the Luxembourgish population.
“CON-VINCE” was launched in April 2020 as one of the several initiatives put in place under the aegis of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force to help contain the current pandemic. By screening a statistically representative panel of volunteers for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the study will identify asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic individuals and follow them up for a year.
Ultimately, the study aims to generate accurate data on the prevalence and transmission of the disease, assisting policy-makers in taking evidence-based decisions over the course of the coming weeks.
Why is this research important?
Asymptomatic individuals – often referred to as “silent carriers” – and mildly symptomatic carriers play a significant role in the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, they currently remain largely unassessed, since diagnostic testing is performed predominantly on people with clear COVID-19 symptoms. In order to put in place effective measures to stave off the COVID-19 infection, it is crucial to systematically test a representative sample of the population in order to identify all individuals carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus, regardless of their symptoms.
Aim and design of the research
In this context, “CON-VINCE” aims to provide reliable information on the nature, prevalence and transmission modality of COVID-19 in Luxembourg, therefore guiding national and international decision-makers in mounting an effective public health, political and economic response to the pandemic. The project will also enable the tracking of the psychological and socio-economic impact of long-term containment measures on the general population.
The study will test a panel of approximately 1,500 participants over the age of 18 and detect the three main groups of asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic people, namely:
- individuals who are “virus-free” and therefore asymptomatic;
- people who are currently infected but present mild or no symptoms;
- and those who were infected but are at present free of the virus.
Participants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 but displaying mild or no symptoms will be followed up over one year, together with virus-free individuals. Conversely, symptomatic patients will be excluded from the study and undergo regular treatment instead.
Your participation
The choice of participants in the panel needs to accurately reflect the actual composition of the Luxembourgish population in terms of age, gender and geography, in order to avoid biased and statistically inaccurate results. Therefore, LIH will contact eligible candidates directly to participate in the study. At this stage, participation of volunteers from the general population is unfortunately not yet possible.
Team
The “CON-VINCE” study is led by a consortium of Luxembourgish research institutions, including:
- Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB)
- University of Luxembourg
The study is supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) with EUR 1.4 million co-financing. The market research company TNS-ILRES, Ketterthill, Laboratoires Réunis and BioneXt Lab are associated partners in the study.
“CON-VINCE” is implemented under the aegis of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 task force.
Research Luxembourg is a joint initiative of the main players in Luxembourg public research Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH); Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER); Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST); Laboratoire National de santé (LNS); University of Luxembourg; Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR), supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. The main aim of the initiative is to promote scientific cooperation in Luxembourg and to communicate the activities of the sector as a whole.
Contact
PROJECT COORDINATOR
Prof Rejko Krüger: rejko.krueger@lih.lu
PRESS CONTACT
Didier Goossens: didier.goossens@fnr.lu