Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36502413›Full record

ReviewEmerging infectious diseases2022

SARS-CoV-2 Prevalence in Malawi Based on Data from Survey of Communities and Health Workers in 5 High-Burden Districts, October 2020.

Joe Alex Theu, Alinune Nathanael Kabaghe, George Bello, Evelyn Chitsa-Banda, Matthews Kagoli, Andrew Auld, Jonathan Mkungudza, Gabrielle O'Malley, Fred Fredrick Bangara, Elizabeth F Peacocke and 13 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Emerging infectious diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Rethinking the evidence on COVID-19 in Africa.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2025
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Surprising Gendered Age Differences in Rural Malawians' Early COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention Efforts.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Characterizing the evolving SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in urban and rural Malawi between February 2021 and April 2022: A population-based cohort study.International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases · 2023
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Global Responses to the COVID-19 PandemicEmerging infectious diseases · 2022
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Joe Alex Theu
Alinune Nathanael Kabaghe
George Bello
Evelyn Chitsa-Banda
Matthews Kagoli
Andrew Auld
Jonathan Mkungudza
Gabrielle O'Malley
Fred Fredrick Bangara
Elizabeth F Peacocke
Yusuf Babaye
Wingston Ng'ambi
Christel Saussier
Ellen MacLachlan
Gertrude Chapotera
Mphatso Dennis Phiri
Evelyn Kim
Mabvuto Chiwaula
Danielle Payne
Nellie Wadonda-Kabondo
Annie Chauma-Mwale
Titus Henry Divala
Public Health Institute of Malawi COVID-19 surveillance committee3

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

To determine early COVID-19 burden in Malawi, we conducted a multistage cluster survey in 5 districts. During October-December 2020, we recruited 5,010 community members (median age 32 years, interquartile range 21-43 years) and 1,021 health facility staff (HFS) (median age 35 years, interquartile range 28-43 years). Real-time PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence was 0.3% (95% CI 0.2%-0.5%) among community and 0.5% (95% CI 0.1%-1.2%) among HFS participants; seroprevalence was 7.8% (95% CI 6.3%-9.6%) among community and 9.7% (95% CI 6.4%-14.5%) among HFS participants. Most seropositive community (84.7%) and HFS (76.0%) participants were asymptomatic. Seroprevalence was higher among urban community (12.6% vs. 3.1%) and HFS (14.5% vs. 7.4%) than among rural community participants. Cumulative infection findings 113-fold higher from this survey than national statistics (486,771 vs. 4,319) and predominantly asymptomatic infections highlight a need to identify alternative surveillance approaches and predictors of severe disease to inform national response.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2AdultAntibodies, ViralHealth PersonnelHumansPrevalenceSeroepidemiologic StudiesYoung AdultAntibodies, Viralcommunity health workerscommunity surveillancecoronavirus diseaseCOVID-19Malawirespiratory infectionsSARS-CoV-2serosurveillancesevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2viruseszoonoses

Identifiers

PMID36502413
PMCPMC9745213

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.