euPrevent COVID-19 and it's impact on the EMR

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Belgium - Germany - The Netherlands Euregio Meuse-Rhin / Euregio Maas-Rijn / Euregio Maas-Rhein

Date of latest update: 2023-03-07

Description

Description (EN):

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first discovered in China in December 2019, and the causative virus is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since then COVID-19 has been spreading to many parts of the world including Europe. EMR is among the regions that have been heavily influenced by the spread of COVID- 19. The effects of COVID-19 were demonstrated in the EMR as one traditionally connected region has been segregated by different national policies in reaction to COVID-19, mainly to protect their own national interests. Since end May 2020, all three countries in the EMR are contemplating a transition phase in which measures have to be evaluated, lifted or changed. Different national policies are transposed to different individual actions of citizens. Given uncertainties of the disease, individuals relate the prevention of the disease to the response policies presented by national authorities. It is important to realize that knowledge about spread in the population, compliance with infection prevention measures and relations with people’s social networks are important scientific basis to monitor the disease, and to impose measures and transition of measures in the EMR and cross border regions in general. In the longer term it is important to examine the sustainability and practical application of social isolation or containment strategies. To adopt the optimal approaches in a cross-border setting like in the EMR, we need adequate insights in COVID-19 spread and follow-up of the mitigation measures in the community. Accurate data will provide a solid basis for issuing guidance on how to best respond to the outbreak. Currently we lack comparable data on infection-prevalence and on infection prevention behaviors, collectively gathered in the EMR. Increasing our understanding of the current situation based on real-life data obtained in a standardized way in three different European countries, will provide insight on our next steps in mitigating the impact of COVID- 19. Moreover, it will give a huge insight in the effects of COVID-19 in a Euroregion. This is acknowledged by the experts (from the public health authorities, the universities, and the communities) in the EMR. This project idea comes from them and will be executed by them! Therefore, the goal of this project is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the EMR. In order to reach this goal, four sub-goals have to be reached: 1.To assess, in a representative fraction of (young) adults and older people living in the community, the prevalence of COVID-19 antibody response and measure recent infection prevention behaviors (including social distancing) and characteristics of their social networks in the EMR. 2.To connect the results from the sub-goal 1 to the public health response measures that were implemented by the governments of the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. 3.To give based on sub-goal 1 and 2 an insight in the effects COVID-19 has on a cross border region like the EMR. 4.To present the EMR as a showcase of what COVID-19 means for border regions in the EU and its effects on the daily lives of citizens in these border regions. This fully supports the European Commission “Guidelines on EU Emergency Assistance in Cross-Border Cooperation in Healthcare related to the COVID-19 crisis” of 3 April. 2020. The results and experiences of the EMR will be transferred and disseminated to the EU, to other (border) regions in the EU and to the WHO RHN. To reach these goals, this project will collect data on the prevalence of antibodies in a large population of the EMR citizens whereby epidemiology can be applied to examine the spread of the COVID-19 and evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on EMR. This will be related to the compliance of infection prevention measures in EMR countries. To be concrete, 15,000 citizens randomly selected from the three EMR countries, will be asked to send a blood sample in order to be able to test for COVID-19 antibodies. This blood test round will be repeated six months later in order to see the evolution of antibodies in reaction to the changes of precautionary measures. Linked questionnaire data on preventive behaviours and cross border activities will be gathered as well. There will be 8 local citizen summits organized in order to discuss with citizens how they experience COVID-19 in general and the cross border elements. The data collected through this project will then be visualized on the Euregional Health Atlas. Therefore, the findings of these analyses will not only provide insight for the policy makers at EMR, but will also be useful for other cross-border regions in the EU, and may even serve as a good example for other parts of the world in dealing with uncertain situations caused by infectious diseases and avoid its potentially devastating effect as illustrated by COVID- 19.

Achievements (EN):

Research: Two rounds of blood sampling tests took place in order to see how COVID-19 antibodies have evolved among EMR citizens as a reaction to the various response measures. Regional citizens’ summits were organised in each country’s own language, providing citizens with a platform to voice how they have experienced the COVID-19. A conference was organised for presenting the first results of this project and where the first draft report of the recommendations was discussed with experts from all over the EMR and outside. Results: In addition to the final report that covers the findings of the research and the regional citizen summits, an infographic was drawn to better illustrate the results of the report, and all data acquired through the project was visualised on the Euregional Health Atlas (EHA).

Website: http://www.interregemr.eu/

Thematic information

Health and social services

Specific Objective: Decrease border hindrance effects for residents and institutions

Thematic Objective:

(11) enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration through actions to strengthen the institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administrations and public services related to the implementation of the ERDF, and in support of actions under the ESF to strengthen the institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administration.

Investment Priority: (11 ETC) ETC specific, for cross-border cooperation: enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration by promoting legal and administrative cooperation and cooperation between citizens and institutions

Partners (4)

Lead Partner: GGD Zuid Limburg

Department: SIM

Address: Het overloon 2, 6411TE Heerlen, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.ggdzl.nl

Total budget: EUR 265 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 238 500.00

Sciensano

Name: Sciensano

Department: Scientific Direction Epidemiology and Public Health

Address: Rue Juliette Wytsman 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.sciensano.be

Total budget: EUR 218 420.00

ERDF budget: EUR 196 578.00

Academisch ziekenhuis Maastricht

Name: Academisch ziekenhuis Maastricht

Department: Dept. Medical Microbiology

Address: P. Debyelaan 25, 6229HX Maastricht, Netherlands

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.mumc.nl

Total budget: EUR 347 394.00

ERDF budget: EUR 312 654.60

Stichting euPrevent EMR

Name: Stichting euPrevent EMR

Department: not applicable

Address: Het overloon 2, 6411TE Heerlen, Netherlands

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.euprevent.eu

Total budget: EUR 124 889.00

ERDF budget: EUR 112 400.10

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

Sciensano

euPrevent COVID-19 and it's impact on the EMR

Partners and Projects info

Academisch ziekenhuis Maastricht

euPrevent COVID-19 and it's impact on the EMR

Partners and Projects info

GGD Zuid Limburg

euPrevent COVID-19 and it's impact on the EMR

Partners and Projects info

Foundation euPrevent EMR

euPrevent COVID-19 and it's impact on the EMR

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): euPrevent COVID-19 and it's impact on the EMR

Project acronym: euPrevent COVID

Project start date: 2020-08-01

Project end date: 2021-12-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 955 703.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 860 132.70

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 860 132.70.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Reports

Citizens’ Summits on COVID-19:

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Report

Data source: http://www.interregemr.eu/

Publication date: 2023-10-04

Document date: 2021-11-09

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Studies / surveys

Impact of COVID-19 on the Meuse-Rhine Euregion

Attachment type: file

Type of document: Study / survey

Data source: http://www.interregemr.eu/

Publication date: 2023-10-04

Document date: 2021-12-16

Languages: en

Attachment file: Download

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Belgium - Germany - The Netherlands Euregio Meuse-Rhin / Euregio Maas-Rijn / Euregio Maas-Rhein

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2024-02-28

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

65 / 65 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

500 / 514 (97.28%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Data of two projects (EMfloodResilience and MARHETAK) was retrieved by Interact from the programme´s website on the 2024-02-28. Regarding partners only data only main partners is available. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.interregemr.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-04, 2023-01-10 and 2024-03-07. Fields project name (from 14 projects) translated from French, German, and Dutch into English using the European Commission's eTranslation machine translation service.

The projects which fields include an eTranslation English text are the ones with the following acronyms: EMRLingua, EMRWINE, euPrevent SNA, euPrevent-SFC, FUNFORLAB, GAR 4.0, GYM-Generate Your Muscle, Healthy Aging, i2-CoRT, IDZ-UDZ, MOBI, RANDO-M, Terra Mosana and Wohnmonitor EMR.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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euPrevent COVID-19 and it's impact on the EMR

Description

Thematic information

Partners (4)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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