Canadian COVID-19 Outbreak Surveillance System : Implementation of national surveillance during a global pandemic

Journal article


McGill, Erin, Coulby, Cameron, Dam, Demy, Bellos, Anna, McCormick, Rachel and Patterson, Kaitlin. (2023). Canadian COVID-19 Outbreak Surveillance System : Implementation of national surveillance during a global pandemic. Canadian Journal of Public Health. 114(3), pp. 358-367. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-023-00766-5
AuthorsMcGill, Erin, Coulby, Cameron, Dam, Demy, Bellos, Anna, McCormick, Rachel and Patterson, Kaitlin
Abstract

[English] Setting
Early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the need to develop systematic outbreak surveillance at the national level to monitor trends in SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks was identified as a priority for the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). The Canadian COVID-19 Outbreak Surveillance System (CCOSS) was established to monitor the frequency and severity of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks across various community settings.

Intervention
PHAC engaged with provincial/territorial partners in May 2020 to develop goals and key data elements for CCOSS. In January 2021, provincial/territorial partners began submitting cumulative outbreak line lists on a weekly basis.

Outcomes
Eight provincial and territorial partners, representing 93% of the population, submit outbreak data on the number of cases and severity indicators (hospitalizations and deaths) for 24 outbreak settings to CCOSS. Outbreak data can be integrated with national case data to supply information on case demographics, clinical outcomes, vaccination status, and variant lineages. Data aggregated to the national level are used to conduct analyses and report on outbreak trends. Evidence from CCOSS analyses has been useful in supporting provincial/territorial outbreak investigations, informing policy recommendations, and monitoring the impact of public health measures (vaccination, closures) in specific outbreak settings.

Implications
The development of a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak surveillance system complemented case-based surveillance and furthered the understanding of epidemiological trends. Further efforts are required to better understand SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks for Indigenous populations and other priority populations, as well as create linkages between genomic and epidemiological data. As SARS-CoV-2 outbreak surveillance enhanced case surveillance, outbreak surveillance should be a priority for emerging public health threats.

[French] Contexte
Au début de la pandémie de SRAS-CoV-2, l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada (ASPC) a déterminé comme priorité la nécessité de développer un système de surveillance systématique des éclosions à l’échelle nationale afin de suivre les tendances des éclosions de SRAS-CoV-2. Le système canadien de surveillance des éclosions de COVID-19 (SCSEC) a été établi pour surveiller la fréquence et la gravité des éclosions de SRAS-CoV-2 dans différents milieux communautaires.

Intervention
L’ASPC s’est engagée avec les partenaires provinciaux et territoriaux en mai 2020 pour élaborer des objectifs et des éléments de données clés pour le SCSEC. En janvier 2021, les partenaires provinciaux et territoriaux ont commencé à transmettre des listes d’éclosions cumulatives hebdomadaires.

Résultats
Huit partenaires provinciaux et territoriaux, représentant 93 % de la population, transmettent au SCSEC des données sur les éclosions sur le nombre de cas et les indicateurs de gravité (les hospitalisations et les décès) pour 24 types de milieux. Les données sur les éclosions peuvent être intégrées avec les données nationales sur les cas pour obtenir des informations sur la démographie des cas, les résultats cliniques, le statut vaccinal et les lignées de variants. Les données agrégées à l’échelle nationale sont utilisées pour effectuer des analyses et faire rapport des tendances sur les éclosions. Les résultats des analyses du SCSEC ont été utiles pour soutenir les enquêtes provinciales/territoriales sur les éclosions, informer les recommandations politiques et surveiller l’impact des mesures de santé publique (la vaccination, les fermetures) dans des milieux d’éclosions spécifiques.

Implications
Le développement d’un système de surveillance des éclosions de SRAS-CoV-2 a permis de complémenter la surveillance des cas et d’approfondir notre compréhension des tendances épidémiologiques. Des efforts supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour mieux comprendre les éclosions de SRAS-CoV-2 chez les populations autochtones et d’autres populations minoritaires, ainsi que pour créer des liens entre les données génomiques et les données épidémiologiques. Comme la surveillance des éclosions de SRAS-CoV-2 a enrichi la surveillance des cas, la surveillance des éclosions devrait être une priorité pour les menaces émergentes pour la santé publique.

KeywordsCOVID-19; outbreak; surveillance; public health; infectious disease; éclosion; surveillance; santé publique; maladie transmissible
Year2023
JournalCanadian Journal of Public Health
Journal citation114 (3), pp. 358-367
PublisherSpringer
ISSN0008-4263
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-023-00766-5
PubMed ID37074555
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85153105838
PubMed Central IDPMC10116888
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Page range358-367
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online19 Apr 2023
Publication process dates
Accepted14 Mar 2023
Deposited03 Apr 2025
Additional information

© Crown 2023.

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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