The Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN) is a

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

surveillance program established in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. SCAN originated in March 2020 as a partnership between the Public Health department of Seattle and King County in Washington, USA and the Seattle Flu Study. SCAN's predecessor, the Seattle Flu Study, reported the first known case of community transmission of

SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a ...

in the United States.

Origin and ties to the Seattle Flu Study

The greater Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network originated from the Seattle Flu Study, a public health surveillance program established in 2018. The Seattle Flu Study tracked the spread of bacterial and viral respiratory infections, including

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

, in the greater Seattle area by collecting nasal swabs from volunteers in the community. The public arm of the program allowed people to enroll online and request an at-home nasal swab sample collection kit, to be mailed back to the study team. Additional tests were performed at various locations throughout the community, including public transportation hubs, malls, hospitals and schools. During the 2018-2019 Flu season (October–May), the study collected 3,653 community samples, and 11,273 hospital samples. From January 1 through March 9, 2020, 3,524 samples were collected through online enrollment. Following the first confirmed case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

outbreak in Washington state, the Seattle Flu Study team decided to test all received samples for SARS-CoV-2. A nasal swab collected by the Seattle Flu Study on February 24, 2020, became the first documented case of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the United States.

Regulatory challenges

SCAN's predecessor, the Seattle Flu Study, faced significant delays in acquiring federal regulatory approval to test samples for SARS-CoV-2, and made the decision to proceed with testing in the interest of public health. As of May 13, 2020, SCAN was required to halt testing by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) until receiving additional approval from the agency. SCAN responded by noting that they initiated the process to gain FDA approval on March 23, 2020, and have submitted all requested data.

Members and funding

SCAN began as a partnership between the Seattle Flu Study and Public Health - Seattle and King County. It is affiliated with the Brotman Baty Institute, a collaboration between the

University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is a large public medical school in the northwest United States, located in Seattle and affiliated with the University of Washington. According to ''U.S. News & World Report''s 2022 Best Grad ...

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, formerly known as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and also known as Fred Hutch or The Hutch, is a cancer research institute established in 1975 in Seattle, Washington. History The center grew out o ...

, and

Seattle Children's Seattle Children's, formerly Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, formerly Children's Orthopedic Hospital, is a children's hospital in the Laurelhurst neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. The hospital specializes in the care of inf ...

. It has received technical support from the Institute for Disease Modeling,

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

Care, the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...

, and the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

. SCAN is funded by Gates Ventures.

References

{{reflist Public health Scientific and technical responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

Origin and ties to the Seattle Flu Study

Regulatory challenges

Members and funding

See also

References