<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Michael Padget</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Pauline Adam</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Marina Dorfmuller</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Clara Blondel</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Ines Campos-Matos</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Myriam Fayad</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Alberto Mateo-Urdiales</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">David Mesher</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Adriana Pistol</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Javiera Rebolledo</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Flavia Riccardo</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Maximilian Riess</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Rusu, Lavinia Cipriana</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Didier Che</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Bruno Coignard</style></author></authors><translated-authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">COVID-19 Study group</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">COVID-19 Study Group members</style></author></translated-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">A comparison of COVID-19 incidence rates across six European countries in 2021.</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Euro Surveill</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">COVID-19</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Europe</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Humans</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">incidence</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">ITALY</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Romania</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2023</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2023 Oct</style></date></pub-dates></dates><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">28</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">&lt;p&gt;International comparisons of COVID-19 incidence rates have helped gain insights into the characteristics of the disease, benchmark disease impact, shape public health measures and inform potential travel restrictions and border control measures. However, these comparisons may be biased by differences in COVID-19 surveillance systems and approaches to reporting in each country. To better understand these differences and their impact on incidence comparisons, we collected data on surveillance systems from six European countries: Belgium, England, France, Italy, Romania and Sweden. Data collected included: target testing populations, access to testing, case definitions, data entry and management and statistical approaches to incidence calculation. Average testing, incidence and contextual data were also collected. Data represented the surveillance systems as they were in mid-May 2021. Overall, important differences between surveillance systems were detected. Results showed wide variations in testing rates, access to free testing and the types of tests recorded in national databases, which may substantially limit incidence comparability. By systematically including testing information when comparing incidence rates, these comparisons may be greatly improved. New indicators incorporating testing or existing indicators such as death or hospitalisation will be important to improving international comparisons.&lt;/p&gt;
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