SOPs for Data Collection during COVID-19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which originated in the Wuhan city of China in December 2019 was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020. 1 By the time of writing, more than 3 million confirmed cases and 200,000 deaths have been reported globally.2 Common symptoms of the disease include fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and other symptoms. While the majority of cases are mild, people with underlying health conditions (diabetes, heart and lung diseases, HIV, etc.) and from elderly age groups are thought to be at highest risk. Affecting almost every country in the world,3 many governments have enforced and physical distancing measures, ordered closure of borders, imposed nationwide shut-downs of non-essential services and restriction of movements. The most vulnerable populations are the hardest hit with limited access to health-care facilities and no social support system for covering loss of income due to disrupted livelihoods.