Antibody Response Survey looking for participants
Press release
To help public health professionals and scientists better understand the spread of COVID-19 in Texas and the immune response it causes in individuals, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is partnering with the Texas Department of State Health Services to launch the Texas Coronavirus Antibody Response Survey (Texas CARES). The survey will determine the proportion of people throughout Texas who have COVID-19 antibodies, indicating a past infection and presumably some degree of immune protection. Texas educators, administrators, and allied education staff are invited to participate in Texas CARES.
Texas CARES is conducting 31,500 antibody tests for the Texas education workforce, in addition to thousands more for other populations representing Texas communities, the largest COVID-19 antibody evaluation to date. Each participant will have their blood drawn up to three separate times to test for antibodies and participants will receive their individual results after each sample is taken. The antibody tests (blood draws) are administered free of charge.
Texas CARES will use the information to better understand exposure risks and coordinate more comprehensive emergency state-wide planning for our communities. Participation is voluntary and will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. All test results will be kept confidential and are protected by HIPAA patient privacy regulations. No information will be shared with the Texas Education Agency, employers, teacher organizations or other stakeholders.
To participate, three blood samples must be provided - once in Fall 2020, and twice more in 2021- at a Clinical Pathology Laboratory (CPL) site. For some, especially in rural areas, this may require some travel.
If you are interested in participating in Texas CARES or would like more information, please visit any of the web links below.
Texas CARES Website: https://sph.uth.edu/landing/texascares/
How to participate in Texas CARES: https://sph.uth.edu/landing/texasCARES/join
Thank you for your consideration. Please share with your school community.