On the 10th of October, the RBDCOV project consortium partners convened in Barcelona for a face-to-face meeting. This meeting, held in a hybrid format, provided an opportunity for all technical partners to discuss the progress achieved in each work package and to reflect on the lessons learned in the past months.
During the first part of the day, the Work Package (WP) Coordinators presented key project updates to the rest of the consortium partners. WP3 shared a timeline for the upcoming stages of the clinical trial with children and adolescents, alongside a recruitment update, with 126 participants enrolled in this trial to date. Additionally, WP4 provided an overview of the status of the clinical trial involving individuals with immunocompromising conditions, with a specific focus on the trial taking place in Turkey. Regarding communication efforts, the RBDCOV project has recently focused on several initiatives. These include the creation of a comic infographic, the development of specialised articles led by different partners, and a podcast strategy. The project’s first podcast episode is scheduled for release on the 29th of November.
In their role as RBDCOV Project Coordinators for WP9, Fiona Greenhalgh and Rocco Pignata represented EATG and provided a comprehensive overview of the advancements made in regard to the community engagement of the project since last Consortium Meeting in January 2023. Firstly, they introduced the new CAP members, totaling 15, who collectively represent a broader demographic range. They also highlighted the work undertaken in reviewing trial materials for the studies involving adolescents and adults, as well as the communication materials produced by the RBDCOV project. A particular emphasis was placed on the collaboration between WP8 and WP9, underlining the importance of integrating community perspectives and input when creating communication and dissemination materials. Fiona and Rocco also reported on the psychosocial study led by EATG, which is currently awaiting approval from the ethics committee. Finally, EATG introduced its latest communication initiative for the project, which includes a series of interviews with CAP members and other relevant stakeholders on RBDCOV topics from a community perspective. These interviews will be transformed into short articles with the aim of raising awareness of the project within the EATG community. The first of these articles will be published soon.
Overall, EATG was pleased to meet the other consortium partners in person and to see that the input provided by the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) is being thoughtfully incorporated across the various Work Packages.
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