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Development of at-home sample collection logistics for large-scale seroprevalence studies

BACKGROUND: Serological studies rely on the recruitment of representative cohorts; however, such efforts are specially complicated by the conditions surrounding the COVID19 pandemic. METHODS: We aimed to design and implement a fully remote methodology for conducting safe serological surveys that als...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Aatresh, Aishani V., Cummings, Kate, Gerstein, Hilary, Knight, Christopher S., Limberopolous, Andreas, Stasi, Megan A., Bedugnis, Alice, Somberg, Kenneth A., França, Camila T., Mina, Michael J.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8568136/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34735477
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258516
Descripción
Sumario:BACKGROUND: Serological studies rely on the recruitment of representative cohorts; however, such efforts are specially complicated by the conditions surrounding the COVID19 pandemic. METHODS: We aimed to design and implement a fully remote methodology for conducting safe serological surveys that also allow for the engagement of representative study populations. RESULTS: This design was well-received and effective. 2,066 participants ≥18 years old were enrolled, reflecting the ethnic and racial composition of Massachusetts. >70% of them reported being satisfied/extremely satisfied with the online enrollment and at-home self-collection of blood samples. While 18.6% reported some discomfort experienced with the collection process, 72.2% stated that they would be willing to test weekly if enrolled in a long-term study. CONCLUSIONS: High engagement and positive feedback from participants, as well as the quality of self-collected specimens, point to the usefulness of this fully remote, self-collection-based study design for future safer and efficient population-level serological surveys.