NIH Begins Study to Quantify Undetected Cases of Coronavirus Infection

A woman in a white lab coat uses her gloved hand to hold up a small white blood microsampling device.

Photo: Kaitlyn Sadtler, Ph.D., study lead and principal investigator for laboratory testing, holds up a microsampling device from the home blood collection kit used in the study. | Credit: NIBIB

Blood Samples from Healthy Volunteers Needed to Inform Public Health Decision Making

A new study has begun at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland to determine how many adults in the United States without a confirmed history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), have antibodies to the virus. The presence of antibodies in the blood indicates a prior infection. In this “serosurvey,” researchers will collect and analyze blood samples from as many as 10,000 volunteers to provide critical data for epidemiological models. The results will help illuminate the extent to which the novel coronavirus has spread undetected in the United States and provide insights into which communities and populations are most affected.