St. Luke’s Health System and the Blaine County Innovation and Testing Task Force on Monday launched what will be a six-month research study of about 600 people in Blaine County who are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and of infecting others.
People with frequent, regular contact with the public are best suited for this study, which will be known as the “Blaine COVID STATS” study (Study To Test And Track SARS-CoV-2). Participants will complete a weekly questionnaire and do weekly at-home nasal swab self-testing for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
St. Luke’s said by taking part in the study, participants can help Blaine County more quickly recognize a new wave of COVID-19 infections, help to reduce community spread, and contribute to research about the immune response to coronavirus infection. There is no cost to participate; in fact, study participants are paid for their efforts.
Principal investigators are Dr. Terry O’Connor and Dr. Tom Archie, and the study team includes laboratory scientists at St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center and epidemiologists at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, N.Y. Blaine COVID STATS is sponsored by the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Partnerships include collaboration with researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in La Jolla, Calif.
For more information and to enroll, visit blainecovidstats.com.