WASHINGTON — MedStar Health announced a new study aimed at better understanding the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday.
MedStar Health has begun recruiting patients and asking them to share daily updates of any symptoms and activities related to COVID-19 via email. Researchers will use the information to learn how the virus behaves in our region, including who has it, the locations of disease hot spots, whether prevention strategies, such as wearing a mask and practicing social distancing, are working and who has received the vaccine.
Doctors and researchers hope to have 60,000 participants in the study. Right now, about 2,000 people are already participating, MedStar Health officials said in a press call Tuesday. Anyone can participate regardless of their health by signing up at MedStarHealth.org/JoinTheFight.
Here's how it works.
Participants will receive a daily reminder to answer questions including:
- Do you have a cough, fever or other symptoms?
- Have you been in contact with someone with COVID-19?
- Were you wearing a mask?
- Have you received a flu or COVID-19 vaccine?
Participants fill out the survey on their phone or computer, and send it back to researchers, who share the data with public health officials to get a deeper understanding of the spread of the virus, symptoms and vaccine adoption
“This project represents an innovative way to engage with our community to actively self-report symptoms and events related to COVID-19,” said Kristen E. Miller, DrPH, Scientific Director, National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, MedStar Health Research Institute, co-principal investigator on the study. “We invite everyone in our region to sign up for this study and help tackle this public health emergency together.”
Oliver Moe is a 23-year-old participant in the study who says it's easy to do, but makes him feel empowered and feel like he's helping his community.
"This pandemic doesn't care who you are... It's devastating our communities overall," Moe said. "This is something you can do to help."
Researchers stressed the importance diversity within the study, saying it's vital to collect data from communities most impacted by the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded MedStar Health the two-year, $1.7 million contract as part of a large-scale study led by Wake Forest Baptist Health. Other organizations participating include Atrium Health, Tulane University, and the University of Mississippi.