US kids, parents take DIY tests for Covid-19
AROUND 2,000 FAMILIES HAVE ENROLLED FOR EXPERIMENT
In a a comfy suburb just outside Nashville, a young family swabs their noses twice a month in a DIY study seeking answers to some of the most vexing questions about the coronavirus.
Some 2,000 families in 11 US cities are enrolled in the DIY experiment, pulled from participants in previous government research. In all, that’s 6,000 people. They have no inperson contact with researchers. Testing supplies are mailed to their homes.
How it works
They collect their own nasal swabs for Covid-19 tests, and less often blood and stool samples. The specimens are mailed to the study organisers. Participants get text messages asking about symptoms and reminding them to test and they fill out questionnaires.
The study could help determine the safety of in-class education during the pandemic. But results aren’t expected before year’s end.
For Mendy and Joe McNulty and their two youngest sons in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, nasal swabbing at home is a family affair. Testing supplies are vsnpread out on a carefully wiped down kitchen counter, where the four gather to perform what has become a ritual. “We were excited to be able to feel like we could contribute somehow,’’ said Mendy, explaining why the family chose to participate. “This virus is so unknown. Any
little bit we can do felt like we were doing something to help.’’
It’s hard to pin down the exact number of Covid-19 cases in kids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least 175,000 cases have been confirmed in those aged 17 and under, accounting for less than 10 per cent of all confirmed cases. But the true number is likely much higher because many kids have silent infections or only vague symptoms and don’t get tested.
Data on kids and coronavirus spread is also murky.
Hundreds of infections have been reported in children and staff members at US day care centers, but whether kids or adults were the main spreaders isn’t known. “The bottom line is we just don’t know yet the degree to which children can transmit the virus,’’ said Dr. Tina Hartert of Vanderbilt University, who is leading the government-aided study. The study is also investigating whether children with asthma or allergies might have some protection against Covid-19,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.