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Unmasking COVID-19 transmission at UC Irvine

About our study

Our study, Unmasking COVID-19 transmission at UC Irvine: Immuno-prevalence survey of UCI students, is a research study to find out how many students at UC Irvine have COVID-19 infections and to determine the risk of acquiring SARS-Cov-2 infection over time.

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Why are we doing this study?

COVID-19 is a new disease and we are still learning how it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, how many people have infections without clinical symptoms, and to what extent it may spread in different settings in the United States. This study will help researchers learn more about how COVID-19 spreads, and it is hoped that this information will help to guide interventions to protect students and prevent the spread of infection in Orange County.

 

You are eligible to participate in this study if you:

~Are a student at UC Irvine
~Aged 18 years or older
~No difficulty with hearing, speaking, or cognition in English
~Living on or near campus
~Willing to provide respiratory and blood samples at least four times during the upcoming academic year (until June 2021)

Understanding Student Loan Grace Periods, Deferment, and Forbearance

You are not eligible to participate in this study if you:
~Currently have signs and symptoms of COVID-19 (fever and/or shortness of breath)
~Plan or relocating away from the Irvine area before June 2021

 

The research procedures involve:

~Fill out a 30-minute online questionnaire about your basic information, social, and health information. A Study ID will be assigned to you at the time of initiating the questionnaire.
~Schedule an appointment for specimen collection (blood draw).
~Bring your Study ID and UC Irvine ID with you to the designated location on-campus clinic for your samples to be collected by a registered nurse. The nurse will confirm your identity and draw your blood (not exceeding approximately one and a half teaspoons). The sample collection will take 5 to 10 minutes. Your samples will be labeled by the Study ID (no personal information will be included).
~You will receive an email reminder about repeating the above research procedures every 3 months until the academic year ends in June 2021. You may choose to stop participating at any time during the study.
~You will be contacted within 5 days and referred to your health care provider for further evaluation if your test results indicate the possible presence of COVID-19 infection.

 

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Possible risks/discomforts associated with the study are:
~The main risk of being in this study is that other people might find out about your private information.
~You may experience anxiety or fear from the possible disclosure of your sensitive information. We will do everything we can to keep your information private and safe, within the laws of California, United States.
~Removing blood by a needle may cause temporary pain, bruising, bleeding, swelling, dizziness, and in rare instances fainting or infection.

You will receive a $20 e-gift card after each follow-up visit. There are 3 follow-up sessions. Total compensation for participation in this study is $60 (one $20 e-gift card at visits 2, 3, and 4 = $60 total). If you decide to withdraw from the study or are withdrawn by the research team, you will receive compensation for the visits that you have completed.

All research data collected will be stored securely and confidentially.

 

FAQ:

Do I still need to go to weekly testing for students living on campus if I participate in this study?

  • Important: Please note that this research is completely separate from the weekly testing done for students on UCI campus. You will be expected to participate in the campus weekly testing program whether you enroll in this study or not.

What if I already tested positive for COVID-19?

  • You are still eligible to participate if you previously tested positive for COVID-19
  • We want to understand the changes in immune response over time among people with or without a prior positive test for COVID-19

When do I need to complete the initial survey?

  • We are still taking responses, so please fill out the survey ASAP so we can schedule you if you still want to participate.

What if I have been vaccinated for COVID-19?

  • You can still participate whether or not you have received the COVID-19 vaccine
  • There is no problem if you happen to get vaccinated after your first visit. We will ask you to enter your vaccination date during the follow-up survey. We can then account for that when we analyze the data.

When will I receive my gift card?

  • Electronic gift certificates are sent out all at once after each round of sample collection. So, you will be receiving them once we have a list of all students who provided samples. Please let us know if you have not received them after your sample was collected.

I missed my collection date!

  • If you happen to have missed your scheduled sample collection date, there will possibly be additional slots opened up. Please reschedule your visit.

For questions, please contact: 

 

Name: Jacqueline Valera

Project Coordinator

Phone: (949) 750-5803

Email: valeraj1@uci.edu

 

Name: Megan Bersamira 

Project Coordinator

Phone: (949) 275-2043

Email: mbersami@uci.edu

 

Name: Sanghyuk Shin

Principal Investigator

Phone: (949) 576-8675

Email: ssshin2@uci.edu