Epidemiological Multicohort Study of Latent COVID-19 Infections

Cross-sectional study to detect latent COVID-19 infections in residents and staff of old people's and nursing homes in the city of Solingen with a prospective follow-up of 6 months in a subgroup.

Particular interest is being paid to old people's and nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, as people at particular risk are to be found there. Therefore, the health department of the city of Solingen will carry out extensive testing of both staff and residents for COVID-19 in this sensitive area. The scientific institute Bethanien für Pneumologie e.V. would like to collect and evaluate the data and test results collected in the process in order to record the occurrence of infections in this area and to obtain information on possible routes of infection and the effectiveness of hygiene measures taken. The aims of the study are: 1. Prevalence of latent COVID-19 infections at one point in time among residents and staff of old people's and nursing homes in Solingen. 2. Prevalence of latent COVID-19 infections over a period of 6 months among staff of a single nursing home (=subgroup) 3. Analysis of transmission pathways of the virus in a nursing home 4. Analysis of the effectiveness of hygiene measures taken 5. Analysis of risk factors (previous illnesses, medication, etc.)