Abstract

The paper highlights several aspects of the ONS Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, which has a longitudinal structure retesting participants to see how to swab positivity and antibody positivity change over time. The CIS represents a very relevant and almost unique experience for official statistics as it provides regular estimates of relevant parameters (infection rates, antibody positivity) related to the spread of the pandemic. It also allows more ad-hoc analysis into aspects such as a more detailed look into re-infections.

The paper cover aspects such as the purpose of the study, the sample design implementation and how it changed to meet needs. It will also highlight some of the analysis that was possible given the structure of the study.