老司机直播 students invited to take part in campus study of COVID-19 exposure
Students at the University of Toronto who live on campus or have a documented reason to attend any of the three campuses regularly are invited to to learn whether they鈥檝e been previously exposed to COVID-19.
Researchers from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health are hoping to test a third of eligible students between now and Dec. 22, which is the last day of the fall term. The study will measure the proportion of students who test positive for antibodies and track how this proportion changes through the winter and spring terms.
鈥淭his study will help researchers and public health leaders to understand how much COVID-19 is being spread over time on university campuses,鈥 says Professor France Gagnon, Dalla Lana鈥檚 associate dean of research and one of the study鈥檚 co-investigators. 鈥淪tudents will have a chance to make a major contribution to the science around the changing nature of risk in an adult student population.鈥
Data from the study could shed light on how events like winter or spring breaks influence COVID-19 exposure levels. It may also play a role in helping to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines once they are available.
Signing up and completing the test is simple.
To learn whether you鈥檙e eligible to take part, check your 老司机直播 student email account. If you are eligible, you鈥檒l see an invitation from Sandy Welsh, vice-provost, students. Click on the study website to sign up and receive a finger-prick kit in the mail. Participants will receive up to $60 worth of Uber Eats gift cards.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy and quick to use the kit, and we only need a few drops of your blood to detect antibodies to learn whether you鈥檝e been exposed to the virus causing COVID-19,鈥 says Shaza Fadel, an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health who is running the study. 鈥淎ntibodies are proteins that your body produces at least a week after being exposed to fight off foreign invaders like viruses.鈥
Study participants will learn the results of their test. But Fadel cautions that a positive result doesn鈥檛 mean you can stop distancing or masking.
鈥淭he results of these tests should not alter your behaviour in any way,鈥 says Fadel. 鈥淭he presence of antibodies doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean you are immune to COVID-19 right now. We still don鈥檛 know how strong the antibody response needs to be, or how long it lasts, before an individual is immune. Please continue to protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday season.鈥