COVID-19 health research in low-income countries

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected different countries in different ways and to varying extents. Differences in geography and population, as well as the different health response of respective governments, are factors that play a role in the impact of the virus. Unfortunately, the quality of healthcare systems also plays a key role and there are disparities in healthcare quality across countries. In an initiative led by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), 12 health research projects across more than 18 countries are seeking to reduce the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across low- and middle-income countries. Topics include transmission and infection control, how people in different settings are affected by the virus and long-term outcomes, including the risk of neurological problems. The projects have been informed by the World Health Organization COVID-19 Global Research Roadmap, which features four priority research topics relating to the virus: 'epidemiology, clinical management, infection prevention and control, and health system responses'. One project is looking at the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of older adults in Peru and another is looking at how the virus affected the brain. A project called the DOMINO Study is investigating the indirect effects of COVID-19 on tuberculosis and HIV care in Indonesia and a project based in a low-resource community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is working to better understand SARS-CoV-2 in children.