Bergen COVID-19 Research Group

The first case of COVID-19 infection was identified in Bergen on 28th February prior to the global declaration of pandemic on 11^th March 2020. SARS CoV-2 testing of all suspected cases in the community was centralised in Bergen providing a unique opportunity to study the pandemic within the city. Building on our experience from the swine influenza pandemic, our interdisciplinary consortium covering the community, hospitals and Universities in Western Norway aims to understand key clinical, epidemiological, and immunological characteristics of SARS CoV-2 infection in the general population, hospitalised patients and frontline healthcare workers (HCW).

We commenced our study on 6^th March collecting baseline pre-exposure and demographics data and blood samples from 1200 health care workers. These HCW have been followed up upon suspected or confirmed infection during the pandemic allowing us to map exposure. Humoral and cellular immunological assays to test SARS CoV-2 specific responses have been developed. We have conducted long term follow up of infected cases and their household contacts from each of the SARS CoV-2 variant waves, describing household attack rates and persisting symptoms. We aim to define levels of population-based immunity to SARS-CoV-2 virus in HCW (exposed and/or infected), community and hospitalized patients and assess the durability of immunity. We will describe the prognostic factors for severe and life-threatening illness in hospitalized patients in Bergen and investigate immunological biomarkers for severe disease. Our immunological and epidemiological findings will provide vital information on the ability of the virus to spread and the long term sequalae in the Norwegian population and in health care services to inform future policy decisions.