
The Bergen COVID-19 Research Group (BCRG) is a multidisciplinary team of dedicated scientists focusing on basic and clinical COVID-19 research. We gather outbreak scientists, infectious disease clinicians, laboratory-based virologists and immunologists representing the Universities (University of Bergen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences), Bergen Municipality and major hospitals (Haukeland University Hospital, Stavanger University Hospital, and Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital) in Western Norway. As the first group researching COVID-19 in Norway, we have built a unique biobank and published our scientific results in high-ranking international peer reviewed journals.
The first case of COVID-19 infection was identified in Bergen on February 28, 2020 prior to the global declaration of pandemic on March 11, 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 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 March 6, 2022, 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. Further, 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 early epidemiological and immunological findings provided vital information on the ability of the virus to spread in the Norwegian population and in health care services informing local, national and international policy decisions. We identified factors which can reduce infection in households, healthcare settings and nursing homes. This information will be important for future infection control for emerging pathogens. We have also defined risk factors and the prevalence of short and long term sequelae after SARS CoV-2 infection showing the long-term complications even after mild disease and in adolescents and young adults including shortness of breath, fatigue, and cognitive problems (memory loss and concentration difficulties). One of main findings is that almost half of infected patients experience persisting symptoms which causes considerable suffering, including loss of ability to perform daily activities, loss of educational and work opportunities, with far reaching personal and societal consequences. Future pandemic preparedness needs to plan for the healthcare needs of patients with long-term sequela not only in patients who were severely ill but also those after mild infection.
Due to the centralised SARS CoV-2 testing in Bergen we have identified the risk of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 variants in previously infected or vaccinated individuals and the long-term complications after infection with different variants. The period of protection is important for defining who and when people should be revaccinated with COVID vaccines in different age and risk groups.
Our researchers are participating in a number of evaluation and advisory activities. Bjørn Blomberg, Bård Kittang, Kristin Mohn and Nina Langeland were actively involved in the Solidarity platform trials to evaluate antivirals for treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients.
Rebecca Cox has been appointed the national coordinator for the EU H2020 funded Vaccelerate project to advance COVID vaccines development and evaluation in Europe. She was also nominated as a Member European Medicines Agency Scientific Advisory Group Vaccines.
Nina Langeland sat in the two independent “Corona Commissions” which thoroughly and comprehensively reviewed and evaluated the Norwegian authorities handling of the COVID-19 pandemic providing two written reports.
Rebecca Cox, Kristin Mohn and Nina Langeland were members of the expert group of Norwegian National Knowledge programme on COVID-19 and the expert group on COVID-19 vaccines providing scientific advice to the Norwegian government.
Finally, Rebecca Cox acted as a scientific advisor to European Commission to assist the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors with the development of the policy-based Scientific Opinion on Pandemics. She and Nina Langeland are members of the European Commission’s expert group on SARS-CoV-2 variants. Rebecca was also a member of the study group National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), USA “Best practices for vaccine research and development for management of pandemic influenza”.
For the future, we have built a multidisciplinary team in Western Norway covering the municipalities, nursing homes, and city hospitals which will allow broad scientific collaboration on outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics, and established a national network for research on prevention of complications after viral infections.
- Blomberg B, Mohn KG, Brokstad KA, et al. Cox RJ, Langeland N. Long COVID in a prospective cohort of home-isolated patients. Nat Med. 2021 Jun 23. doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01433-3. IF 87
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01433-3 - Cox RJ, Brokstad KA, Krammer F, Langeland N, Bergen COVID-19 Research Group. Seroconversion in household members of COVID-19 outpatients. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021;21(2):168. IF 71
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32553187/ - Fjelltveit EB, Blomberg B, Kuwelker K, Zhou F, Onyango TB, Brokstad KA, Elyanow R, Kaplan IM, Tøndel C, Mohn KGI, Özgümüş T, Cox RJ, Langeland N; Bergen COVID-19 Research Group. Symptom burden and immune dynamics 6 to 18 months following mild SARS-CoV-2 infection -a case-control study. Clin Infect Dis. 2022:ciac655. IF 9.0
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35959897/ - Hansen L, Brokstad KA, Bansal A, Zhou F, Bredholt G, Bredholt Onyango T, Sandnes HH, Elyanow R, Madsen A, Trieu MC, Sævik M, Søyland H, Olofsson JS, Vahokoski J, Ertesvåg NU, Fjelltveit EB, Shafiani S, Tøndel C, Chapman H, Kaplan I, Mohn KGI, Langeland N, Cox RJ. Durable immune responses after BNT162b2 vaccination in home-dwelling old adults. Vaccine X, 2023;13,100262, IF 3.5
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36643855/ - Mohn KG, Bredholt G, Zhou F, Madsen A, Onyango TB, Fjelltveit EB, Jalloh SL, Brokstad KA, Cantoni D, Mayora-Neto M, Temperton N, Langeland N, Cox RJ; Bergen COVID-19 research group. Durable T-cellular and humoral responses in SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized and community patients. PLoS One. 2022; 22;17(2):e0261979. IF 3.8
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261979 - Ekanger CT, Zhou F,Bohan D et al. including Cox RJ, Langeland N, Engelsen. Human Organotypic Airway and Lung Organoid Cells of Bronchiolar and Alveolar Differentiation Are Permissive to Infection by Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory Virus. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol., 14 March 2022 IF 5.8
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2022.841447/full - Fjelltveit EB, Cox RJ, Kittang BR, Blomberg B, Buanes EA; Group Bergen COVID-19 Research; Langeland N, Mohn KG. Lower antibiotic prescription rates in hospitalized COVID-19 patients than influenza patients, a prospective study. Infect Dis (Lond). 2022;54(2):79-89. IF 5.8
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34525895/ - Trieu MC, Bansal A, Madsen A, et al. Langeland N, Cox RJ . SARS-CoV-2-Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses in Norwegian Health Care Workers After the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study. J Infect Dis. 2021;223(4):589-599. IF 5.2
https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/223/4/589/6009023 - Kuwelker K, Zhou F, Blomberg B, et al. Cox RJ, Langeland N Attack rates amongst household members of outpatients with confirmed COVID-19 in Bergen, Norway: A case-ascertained study. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. 2021;3. No IF yet
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(20)30014-4/fulltext - Ertesvåg, N.U., Xiao, J., Zhou, F. et al.Langeland N, Cox RJ. A rapid antibody screening haemagglutination test for predicting immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Commun Med 2022;2, No IF yet
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-022-00091-x - Tran TT, et al including Cox RJ, Zhou F, Langeland N, Lund-Johansen F. Titers of antibodies against ancestral SARS-CoV-2 correlate with levels of neutralizing antibodies to multiple variants. NPJ Vaccines. 2022;7(1):174. IF 9.4
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-022-00586-7 - Ertesvåg NU, Sakkestad ST, Zhou F, Hoff I, Kristiansen T, Jonassen TM, Follesø E, Brokstad KA, Dyrhovden R, Mohn KG. Persistent Fever and Positive PCR 90 Days Post-SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Rituximab-Treated Patient: A Case of Late Antiviral Treatment. Viruses. 2022 ;14(8):1757. IF 5.8
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36016378/ - Syre H, Obreque ME, Brå Dm Dalen I, Riis ÅG, Berge Å, Löhr IH, Dundal J, Kleppe LRS, Vadla MS, Lenning OB, Olofsson JS, Mohn KGI, Tøndel C, Blomberg B, Trieu MC, Langeland N, Cox RJ. The Performances of Three Commercially Available Assays for the Detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 Antibodies at Different Time Points Following SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection. Viruses2022; 14.(10) 1-11. IF 5.8
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36298751/ - Dahl EH, Mosevoll KA, Cramariuc D, Vedeler CA, Blomberg B. COVID-19 myocarditis and postinfection Bell's palsy. BMJ Case Rep. 2021;11;14(1):e240095 IF 0.
https://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/1/e240095 - Kittang BR, Blomberg B, Sævik M, Olofsson JS, Bergen Covid-Research Group, Langeland N, Cox RJ. SARS CoV-2 Infection among Health Care Workers from Different Health Care Facilities in Western Norway: A Prospective, Cross-Sectional Study. Viruses. 2022;14(12):2652. IF 5.8
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36560656/ - Intermittent left bundle branch block with septal flash and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome in a young woman with long COVID-19 V. Kitsou, Blomberg, T. Lunde and S. Saeed. BMJ Case Rep 2022 Vol. 15 Issue 6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9174810/
Other publications: Reviews, commentaries
- Cox RJ, Brokstad KA. Not just antibodies: B cells and T cells mediate immunity to COVID-19. Nat Rev Immunol. 2020;20(10):581-582. IF 108.6
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32839569/ - Blomberg B, Cox RJ, Langeland N. Long COVID: A growing problem in need of intervention. Cell Rep Med. 2022; 3(3):100552. IF 17.5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8841141/ - McKimm-Breschkin JL, Hay AJ, Cao B, Cox RJ, Dunning J, Moen AC, Olson D, Pizzorno A, Hayden FG. COVID-19, Influenza and RSV: Surveillance-informed prevention and treatment - Meeting report from an isirv-WHO virtual conference. Antiviral Res. 2022; 197:105227. IF 10.2
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34933044/ - Langeland N, Cox RJ. Are low SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in infected children missed by RT-PCR testing? Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2021;5:100138. No IF yet
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(21)00115-0/fulltext
National or international research collaborations with group members
- WHO Solidarity Trial Consortium; et al. Repurposed Antiviral Drugs for Covid-19. WHO Solidarity Trial Results. N Engl J Med. 2021;384(6):497-511. IF 176
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa2023184 - Napolitano V, et al. including Greve-Isdahl Mohn K, Blomberg B, , Pyrc K. Acriflavine, a clinically approved drug, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and other betacoronaviruses. Cell Chem Biol. 2022;29(5):774-784.e8. IF 9.0
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35021060/ - Barratt-Due A, et al including Kittang BR, Blomberg B, Aukrust P; NOR-Solidarity trial. Evaluation of the Effects of Remdesivir and Hydroxychloroquine on Viral Clearance in COVID-19 : A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2021;174(9):1261-1269. IF 51.6
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34251903/ - Lerum TV, et al including, Blomberg B, Kittang BR, NOR-SOLIDARITY Consortium; Skjønsberg OH. Persistent pulmonary pathology after COVID-19 is associated with high viral load, weak antibody response, and high levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9. Sci Rep. 2021; 1;11(1):23205. IF 5.0
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34853380/ - Tveita A, et al. NOR-SOLIDARITY Consortium and the Norwegian SARCoV-2 Study Group Investigators. High Circulating Levels of the Homeostatic Chemokines CCL19 and CCL21 Predict Mortality and Disease Severity in COVID-19. J Infect Dis. 2022 Dec 13;226(12):2150-2160. IF 5.2
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35876699/
Members of the group

Rebecca Jane Cox Brokstad
Professor, PhD. PI and Head of the Influenza Centre

Nina Langeland
Professor, MD, PhD, Medical PI


Kristin Greve-Isdahl Mohn
Associate Professor, MD, PhD. Specialist in Infection Medicine

Bjørn Blomberg
Associate Professor, MD, PhD. Specialist in Infection Medicine

Karl A. Brokstad
Professor, Dr. Sc. Immunologist and lab. coordinator
Other group members
Arild Iversen (Bergen Kommune)
Kjell Haug (Bergen Kommune, IGS)
Bård Kittang (K2, Bergen Kommune, HDS)
Dagrun Waag Linchhausen
Iren Löhr (K2, SUS)
Heidi Syre (SUS)
Marianne Sævik (HUS)
Camilla Tøndel (K2 HUS)
Fan Zhou (K2)








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