The National Institutes of Health is recruiting for a new study to determine how many adults in the U.S. without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2 have antibodies to the virus.
Researchers will collect and analyze blood samples from as many as 10,000 volunteers to provide critical data for epidemiological models.
“This study will give us a clearer picture of the true magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States by telling us how many people in different communities have been infected without knowing it, because they had a very mild, undocumented illness or did not access testing while they were sick,” said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director. “These crucial data will help us measure the impact of our public health efforts now and guide our COVID-19 response moving forward.”
After enrollment, study participants will attend a virtual clinic visit, complete a health assessment questionnaire and provide basic demographic information before submitting samples in one of two ways. Participants working at the NIH Bethesda campus will have blood drawn at the NIH Clinical Center. Other volunteers will participate in at-home blood sampling. Neoteryx, a medical device firm based in Torrance, California, will supply at-home blood collection kits. Researchers will ship each study participant a Mitra Home Blood Collection Kit and provide detailed instructions on collecting a microsample of blood and mailing it back for future analysis in the laboratory.
Read the NIH release