A Nationwide Observational Study of Chlamydia trachomatis Infections in Denmark during the COVID-19 Pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2340/actadv.v102.2324Keywords:
chlamydia trachomatis, COVID-19, incidence, Denmark, disease surveillanceAbstract
The aim of this study was to determine whether COVID-19 restrictions had an impact on Chlamydia trachomatis infections compared with 2018 and 2019. A retrospective nationwide observational study was performed using monthly incidences of laboratory-confirmed chlamydia cases and number of tests, obtained from Danish national surveillance data. Testing rates and positivity rates were compared using Poisson and logistic regression. The first Danish COVID-19 lockdown (12 March to 14 April 2020) resulted in a reduction in the number of chlamydia tests performed (rate ratio 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.71–0.73) and a consequent reduction in the number of laboratory-identified cases (66.5 vs 88.3 per 100,000 population during the same period in 2018 to 2019). This period was followed by a return of testing and test positivity close to the level seen in 2018 to 2019. The second Danish COVID-19 lockdown (17 December to 31 March 2021) resulted in crude incidence rates of laboratory-confirmed chlamydia infection that were similar to the crude incidence rates seen during same period in 2018 to 2019. In conclusion, the Danish COVID-19 restrictions have had negligible effects on laboratory-confirmed C. trachomatis transmission.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Paula L. Hedley, Steen Hoffmann, Ulrik Lausten-Thomsen, Marianne Voldstedlund, Karsten Dalsgaard Bjerre, Anders Hviid, Lone Krebs, Jørgen S. Jensen, Michael Christiansen
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