Sarscov2 Immunity & REinfection EvaluatioN): The impact of detectable anti SARS-COV2 antibody on the incidence of COVID-19 in healthcare workers he coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a major impact across the UK.
PI – Chris Holmes
Study Start – June 2020
COVID-19 is caused by a virus, called SARS-CoV2, and the main way we can diagnose infection with it is to take a swab from a person’s nose or throat and look for presence of genetic material from the virus. Once someone has recovered from the infection, the virus is no longer present in the nose or throat. But one way the body fights infections like COVID-19 is by producing small particles in the blood called “antibodies”. It takes 2-3 weeks for the body to make enough of these antibodies to fight the infection. When someone gets better, these antibodies can still stay in their blood at low levels – this may help protect against future infections with the same virus. By doing both swab and blood tests regularly together over time we will be assessing whether prior infection (measured through an antibody test) protects against future infection (detection of virus on a swab).
If you decide to take part, you will be asked to complete a registration questionnaire and provide an updated symptom review, nose and throat swabs, blood samples regularly (usually once every 2 or 4 weeks) for up to 12 months. The frequency of the samples will vary related to the amount of virus circulating in the population.
If you would like to volunteer, please go online https://snapsurvey.phe.org.uk/siren/ and complete the online consent form and initial questionnaire. If you have any questions regarding the study, please contact us on 01162585973 or email SIREN@phe.gov.uk