The Blaine COVID STATS Study
With a weekly nasal swab PCR test and a weekly questionnaire, you can help Blaine County more quickly recognize a new wave of COVID19 infections as well as help reduce community spread.
People with frequent, regular contact with the public through their work are best suited for this study.
Benefits of Participating
Regular at-home COVID19 testing helps protect Blaine County through earlier detection
Earlier awareness of a new COVID19 infection helps an individual to take action to reduce community
Earlier awareness of a new COVID19 infection helps an individual to take action to reduce community
Earlier awareness of a new COVID19 infection helps an individual to take action to reduce community
Earlier awareness of a new COVID19 infection helps an individual to take action to reduce community
Earlier awareness of a new COVID19 infection helps an individual to take action to reduce community
There is no cost to participate. Details about compensation will be explained at enrollment.
Earlier awareness of a new COVID19 infection helps an individual to take action to reduce community
There is no cost to participate. Details about compensation will be explained at enrollment.
Overview - blaine COVID stats
Study Design and Sponsors
Who is performing this study?
Principal Investigator: Terry O’Connor, MD Co-Investigator: Tom Archie, MD
All study visits will be conducted by the Blaine COVID STATS research team staff.
Study Title: Blaine County COVID STATS (Study to Test and Track SARS-CoV-2): An Observational Study To Determine SARS-CoV-2 Incidence In Local Communities and to Establish Immune Correlates Of Protection In Healthy Individuals With Higher Risk Of Exposure
Why is this research study being done?
The Blaine COVID STATS study aims to help contain the current COVID-19 pandemic in Blaine County, Idaho by more quickly recognizing a new wave of COVID-19 infections. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 coronavirus. While some individuals infected with the virus respond with no or mild symptoms, others develop respiratory symptoms and pneumonia that require hospitalization and can be deadly. The societal impact of the pandemic can be helped by reducing community spread.
Study Design
Blaine COVID STATS is a longitudinal, six month, observational study of individuals in Blaine County, Idaho who are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 and of infecting others. We have three major goals: (1) public health monitoring for a new wave of COVID-19 infections, (2) research into the use of home sample self-collection for viral detection testing, and (3) research to better understand the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, so as to inform other study of treatments and vaccines for COVID-19. In addition, we will evaluate how long someone infected with SARS-CoV-2 is able to spread the virus, and we will attempt to better understand which immune responses are the most protective.
How many people will take part in this study? About 600 people will participate.
How long will I be in this study? Participants may be in the study from 6 to 9 months.
Who is eligible to participate?
Participants should be healthy adults age 18 or older with frequent close contact with other individuals through employment, socializing or living situation. They will need to provide consent, complete weekly online questionnaires, self-collect and mail in their weekly nasal swab samples to the study lab in Seattle (at to no cost to the participant), as well as provide symptom-driven home self-testing more frequently for two weeks, and have blood drawn for lab testing. Those interested in participating will complete a secure online screening questionnaire regarding their health, any current medications, and their current work including assessment of risk factors for exposure to COVID19 infection. If an individual meets the initial eligibility criteria, they will be invited to schedule an online or phone meeting with a member of the study staff to discuss participation.
Can multiple family members participate?
In order to better understand family viral transmission, Blaine COVID STATS hopes to enroll a number of participants from the same household. Only enrolled study participants will be tested at any time.
Academic Partners
We have established collaborations with researchers in the Department of Epidemiology of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, New York; the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research of the La Jolla Institute of Immunology in San Diego, California; the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington; and St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center laboratory for storage and transport.
Sponsors
Blaine COVID STATS is sponsored generously by the St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation and the National Institute of Health (NIH) The sponsors have no financial interest in this study.
Study Objectives
1) Public Health - Monitor COVID19 locally
- Increase our community's volume of regular surveillance testing for SARS-Cov-2 infection among those at increased risk for becoming infected and for infecting others (weekly PCR screening)
2) COVID19 Immune Response Research
- Estimate the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections in individuals at risk of exposure and of exposing others
- Assess whether people with SARS-CoV-2 infection develop protective and persisting immune responses against re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 and what types of cellular responses are important in creating a lasting and protective immune response
Blaine COVID STATS Research Team
Terry O'Connor MD - Principal Investigator, St Luke's Emergency Medicine
Tom Archie MD - Co-Investigator, Family Physician, St Luke's Medical Staff
Ben Sheppard - Senior Research Coordinator
Maggie Doll PhD, MPH - Epidemiology , Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Colleen McLaughlin PhD, MPH - Epidemiology, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Hollie Bearce - St Luke's Wood River Laboratory
St Luke’s Research Department
James Loveless, MD - Medical Director
Janet Hines - Director of Clinical Research
Katelyn Penny, JD - Compliance Manager
CONTACT:
Ben Sheppard - Senior Research Coordinator
Email: info@blainecovidstats.com
Phone: 208-471-8055
Do you want to participate in Blaine COVID STATS?
Would you like to volunteer?
There may be opportunities to volunteer to support the local operation of Blaine COVID STATS.
Please let us know you are interested by emailing us:
Type "Volunteer" in the subject line.