COVID-19

Below is an overview of various sections of The Swedish COVID-19 & Pandemic Preparedness Portal where information about research data and resources relevant to COVID-19 can be found. For a short background on this topic below, see the description below.

Data highlights (34)

COVID-19 Infectious diseases

A wider variety of data sources contribute to better spatio-temporal predictions of COVID-19 test positivity

2022-11-22

Van Zoest et al (2022) developed and evaluated the performance of four different statistical single models and one ensemble model to predict trends in COVID-19 test positivity. Data are shared openly in GitHub.
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COVID-19 Infectious diseases

Data-driven research shows that Neanderthal gene connected to severity of COVID-19 (Update)

2022-10-03

Study by Hugo Zeberg and Svante Pääbo fully based on openly available data published open access in Nature.

Now a Nobel Prize winner!!
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COVID-19 Infectious diseases

Direct RT-PCR used to monitor Omicron BA.1/BA.2 variant transition in Sweden (Update)

2022-08-15

Lentini and collegues used direct RT-PCR to show the transition from Omicron BA.1 to sub-variant BA.2 in Sweden Jan-March 2022. New Preprint from Reinius lab which shares data and code.
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See all data highlights on COVID-19 (34)

Dashboards (6)

SciLifeLab Autoimmunity and Serology profiling facility SARS-CoV-2 antibody test statistics

The amount of SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater across Sweden

The administration and study of COVID-19 vaccines in Sweden

Post COVID-19 condition in Sweden: statistics, research projects, and available data

See all dashboards on COVID-19 (6)

Sample collections (35)

Name	Type	Size	Materials
Dalarna biobank (forskningsprov och nyinsamlade prov): SARS-CoV-2 PCR positiva Dalarna	Healthcare sample collection	1000 - 10.000	Nasal swab Throat swab
Gävleborg biobank: Klinisk mikrobiologi	Healthcare sample collection	1000 - 10.000	Nasal swab Serum Throat swab Other
Halland biobank: Patologen Halland	Healthcare sample collection	100 - 1000	Tissue (stained sections/slides) Tissue (paraffin preserved)

See all sample collections on COVID-19 (35)

Ongoing research projects (81)

Project title	Funder	Topics
Mental health of young LGBTQ+ people: Trends over time and during the COVID-19 pandemic, causes of mental ill-health, and ways to improve mental health of young LGBTQ+ people Host institute: Karolinska Institute Principal investigator: Kyriaki Kosidou Project: Mental health of young LGBTQ+ people: Trends over time and during the COVID-19 pandemic, causes of mental ill-health, and ways to improve mental health of young LGBTQ+ people Funder: Forte Principal investigator: Kyriaki Kosidou Host institute: Karolinska Institute Duration: 2023-01-01 – 2025-12-31 More information about the project	Forte	COVID-19Infectious diseases
The fatigue cohort - A longitudinal study on psychobiological mechanisms in post-COVID, chronic fatigue and exhaustion syndromes. Host institute: Stockholms universitet Principal investigator: Anna Andreasson Project: The fatigue cohort - A longitudinal study on psychobiological mechanisms in post-COVID, chronic fatigue and exhaustion syndromes. Funder: Forte Principal investigator: Anna Andreasson Host institute: Stockholms universitet Duration: 2023-01-01 – 2025-12-31 More information about the project	Forte	COVID-19Infectious diseases
The unequal pandemic: investigating the relationship between health equity and political responses to covid-19 Host institute: Stockholms universitet Principal investigator: Karl Gauffin Project: The unequal pandemic: investigating the relationship between health equity and political responses to covid-19 Funder: Forte Principal investigator: Karl Gauffin Host institute: Stockholms universitet Duration: 2023-01-01 – 2025-12-31 More information about the project	Forte	COVID-19Infectious diseases

See all ongoing research projects on COVID-19 (81)

Open funding opportunities (5)

Call title	Deadline	Funder	Topics
Grant for research time in a clinical environment The purpose of the grant is to give clinically active persons the opportunity to carry out research on a part-time basis in parallel with developing their clinical competence. The aim is to … Grant for research time in a clinical environment Funder: Swedish Research Council Submission opens: February 22, 2023 Submission deadline: March 28, 2023 Funding amount: A standard amount based on the activity level (1 510 000 SEK per year, 1 680 000 SEK per year, or 1 850 000 SEK per year). Funding period: 2-6 years starting Jan 2024. Eligible applicant: Individual researcher who completed a doctoral degree no more than 10 years ago. Decision date: No later than the beginning of October 2023. Call description: The purpose of the grant is to give clinically active persons the opportunity to carry out research on a part-time basis in parallel with developing their clinical competence. The aim is to reinforce and renew medical and clinical research. See call website for more information	March 28, 2023	Swedish Research Council	General
Project grant for research into viruses and pandemics – from fundamental mechanisms to medical interventions The purpose of the project grant is to give researchers the freedom to formulate their own research idea, method and implementation, and to solve a specific research task within a limited … Project grant for research into viruses and pandemics – from fundamental mechanisms to medical interventions Funder: Swedish Research Council Submission opens: February 22, 2023 Submission deadline: March 28, 2023 Funding amount: Minimum 400 000 SEK per year, maximum 2 500 000 SEK per year. Funding period: 1-3 years starting Jan 2024. Eligible applicant: Individual researcher and up to 6 other researchers may be invited to join the application Decision date: No later than the beginning of November 2023. Call description: The purpose of the project grant is to give researchers the freedom to formulate their own research idea, method and implementation, and to solve a specific research task within a limited period. The focus of this call is on research into basic virology and fundamental disease mechanisms caused by viruses. It also covers research into areas such as zoonoses, the development of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. The initiative is part of the national research programme in viruses and pandemics. See call website for more information	March 28, 2023	Swedish Research Council	Infectious diseasesGeneral
Respiratory Pathogens Researchers are invited to submit any proposal that can be advanced by access to at least one of ISIDORe's services, falls under topics defined in the Scope (see funding link for details), … Respiratory Pathogens Funder: ISIDORe Submission opens: November 1, 2022 Submission deadline: January 1, 2025 Funding amount: Funding will be available for as long as it remains available. Call provides access to ISIDORe services, not a given monetary amount. Call description: Researchers are invited to submit any proposal that can be advanced by access to at least one of ISIDORe’s services, falls under topics defined in the Scope (see funding link for details), and/or is focused on at least one eligible respiratory pathogen (see funding link for details). Your proposal must focus on at least one of the following pathogens: Zoonotic betacoronaviruses, Influenza A, Yersinia pestis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis/bovis, Coxiella burnetii. See call website for more information	January 1, 2025	ISIDORe	Infectious diseasesGeneral

See all open funding opportunities on COVID-19 (5)

Background

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus. Since its start in early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged societies worldwide. While most people infected experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without treatment, the disease can be severe or fatal. Advanced age and underlying medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, or chronic respiratory disease, have all been associated with increased risk of severe outcome. However, anyone independent of age or comorbidities is at risk for COVID-19 severe disease outcome. As of March 2022, more than 200 million confirmed cases and over 4 million deaths have been reported.

The research community worldwide has, in an unprecedented way, focused their research efforts towards investigating the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus and variants, as well as variants of concern (VoCs) have emerged more, and the impact of COVID-19 on human body. These contributions from the research community have been a crucial part of the rapid vaccine development. Vaccines are today the cornerstone of global pandemic management. Whilst vaccines were rolled out in record time and have proven very effective diminishing the risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death, many research questions remain. Although we are now entering a more endemic period, COVID-19 is a serious health threat worldwide. Research and lessons learned are crucial for early detection of outbreaks, ability to rapidly identify potential new SARS CoV-2 variants of concern, development of additional treatment options, and future pandemic preparedness. There is still an uncertainty regarding the duration of vaccine protection and effectiveness of booster doses. In addition, vaccine escape has been shown by several current VoCs which could make vaccines less efficient.