These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.
Immunization Unit, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Euro Surveill. 2024 Feb;29(8). doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2023.29.8.2300329.
The screening method represents a simple, quick, and practical tool for estimating vaccine effectiveness (VE) using routine disease surveillance and vaccine coverage data, even if these data cannot be linked. In Germany, where notification data, laboratory testing data, and vaccine coverage data cannot be linked due to strict data protection requirements, the screening method was used to assess COVID-19 VE continuously between July 2021 and March 2023. During this period, when Delta and Omicron variants circulated, VE estimates were produced in real-time for different age groups and clinical outcomes. Here we describe the country's overall positive experience using the screening method, including its strengths and limitations, and provide practical guidance regarding a few issues, such as case definition stringency, testing behaviour, and data stratification, that require careful consideration during data analysis and the interpretation of the results.
该筛查方法代表了一种简单、快速且实用的工具，可利用常规疾病监测和疫苗接种数据来估算疫苗效力（VE），即使这些数据无法关联。在德国，由于严格的数据保护要求，通知数据、实验室检测数据和疫苗接种数据无法关联，因此在 2021 年 7 月至 2023 年 3 月期间，采用了该筛查方法连续评估 COVID-19 的 VE。在此期间，当 Delta 和 Omicron 变异株流行时，针对不同年龄组和临床结局实时生成 VE 估计值。在此，我们描述了该国在使用筛查方法方面的总体积极经验，包括其优势和局限性，并就一些问题提供了实用指导，例如病例定义严格性、检测行为和数据分层，在数据分析和结果解释过程中需要仔细考虑这些问题。
