Abstract
This project is a collaboration between the Population Health COVID-19 Pandemic Research Center (CPRC) initiative within the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC; the Price School of Public Policy/Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics; and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH). The overall goal is to generate data on the “true” prevalence of COVID-19 infection in LA County (overall, and among key subgroups) as well as its cumulative incidence (i.e., progression) over a defined period of time information that is crucial for planning and policy decisions. The approach being planned to achieve this goal is to recruit, with the assistance of a commercial provider that specializes in this activity, a community-based cohort of 2,000 households involving 2,000 adults (and, potentially, 1,000 associated children age 5 or greater) who are representative of the demographics of citizens in LA County, and who will consent to respond to a survey, participate in a drive-through protocol to gather “convenience” biological samples to test COVID-19 infection using a state-of-the-art antibody testing procedure (Wave 1), and then be surveyed and re-tested for antibodies again after 2-3 months (Wave 2). The current scope of work involves collection of data and samples in January-February, 2021; and the analysis of samples, data, and preliminary results related to Wave 1 by April, 2021. The associated protocol is also designed to incorporate, at minimal extra cost, labor, and inconvenience to the study participants, the gathering of additional information on the surveys and extra biological samples that will allow the investigative team to address additional goals and test hypotheses of important public health significance. The design will also establish the cohort as an on-going resource for generating additional evidence, based on maximum follow-up participation in additional surveys and testing, that addresses key questions of significance to public health policy.
Principal Investigator
Howard Hu, MD MPH ScD
Keck School of Medicine, USC
howard.hu@med.usc.edu
Paul Simon, MD MPH
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
psimon@ph.lacounty.gov
Neeraj Sood, PhD
Price School of Policy, USC
nsood@usc.edu
Main Co-investigators
Rani Kotha, JD MPH
Price School/Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics/USC
rkotha@healthpolicy.usc.edu
Andrea Kovacs, MD
Keck/USC
akovacs@med.usc.edu
Will Nicholas, MD MPH
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
wnicholas@ph.lacounty.gov
Additional advisors/co-investigators
David Conti, PhD
Keck/USC
dcontin@med.usc.edu
Frank Gillliland, MD PhD
Keck/USC
gillilan@med.usc.edu
Jennifer Unger, PhD
Keck/USC
unger@med.usc.edu
Research assistance
Tara Chu, MPH
Keck/USC
tarachu@med.usc.edu
Service contract provider
Elinor Gaida
SoapBoxSamples, LRW, Inc.
egaida@soapboxsample.com
Jacquieline Rosales
SoapBoxSamples, LRW, Inc
jrosales@soapboxsample.com