About this Research Topic
Almost nine months since the first recorded case, the novel betacoronovirus; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has now passed 18 million confirmed cases. The multi-disciplinary work of researchers worldwide has provided a far deeper understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis, clinical treatment and outcomes, lethality, disease-spread dynamics, period of infectivity, containment interventions, as well as providing a wealth of relevant epidemiological data.
With 27 vaccines currently undergoing human trials, and countries worldwide continuing to battle case numbers, or prepare for resurgences, the need for efficient, high-quality pipelines for peer-reviewed research remains as crucial as ever.
Following on from the success of the first Frontiers COVID-19 research topic, featuring over 300 original research articles, we are opening a second Research Topic for submissions. While the initial research topic was broad in scope, this follow-up will focus primarily on areas of public health and medicine, addressing the current requirement at this stage of the pandemic. Submissions are welcome for the following article types: Original Research, Review, Mini-Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Research Protocol, Opinion and Hypothesis. We particularly welcome contributions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
• Detection, investigation, surveillance, management and control of coronavirus outbreaks, including emerging infections, healthcare-associated infections and infections in compromised hosts.
• Determination of risk factors and prognostic markers;
• Molecular and genomic epidemiology investigations of sources and modes of transmission;
• Clinical trials of anti-infective therapeutics, companion diagnostics or patient care pathways;
• Public health interventions to prevent infectious diseases, including consideration of vaccine efficacy and immunization program effectiveness;
• Natural history of COVID-19 clinical disease spectrum in different populations and analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic prognostic factor;
• Systematic reviews and meta-analysis of COVID-19 epidemiological studies and surveillance data as well as modeling studies and analytical methods for risk assessment studies;
• Pre-clinical development and clinical trials of therapeutic agents for COVID-19;
• Pre-clinical development and clinical trials of COVID-19 candidate vaccines;
• Clinical immunology of COVID-19, including specific antibody and cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 and protective immunity;
• Long-term sequelae from Covid-19 infections;
• COVID-19 in pregnancy and potential long term impact on maternal and infant health;
• Management of post-COVID-19 recovery and rehabilitation;
• Community, culture, and technology-based interventions;
• Analysis of social and behavior assumptions underpinning epidemiological models of viral transmission;
• Understanding of social, economic and political costs of public health interventions such as lock-down, self-isolation and social distancing;
• Implications of the current pandemic for governance and the social justice agenda worldwide;
• Analysing current social change to forecast post-pandemic futures;
• Innovative delivering of teaching and training in medicine;
• Post-COVID syndrome.
Keywords: Coronavirus, public health, communication, risk, social media, community understanding, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, infection prevention and control, epidemiology, transmission studies, antiviral therapy, medicine
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
