Photo Courtesy of UMMC
The University of Mississippi Medical Center will participate in a major COVID-19 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
UMMC has received a $1.6 million contract from the CDC to take part in the “multi-site study of patients and health care workers in health systems” led by Wake Forest Baptist Health and Vysnova.
According to UMMC, “the study will estimate COVID-19 prevalence and incidence by geography, age, race and other demographic measures, as well as clinical consequences. Participants will report potential exposures, symptoms and behaviors like mask-wearing through a secure app on their personal device. Some participants may also test for COVID-19 antibodies at home. The study will also look at the effectiveness of personal protective equipment in preventing COVID-19 infection among health care workers.”
Dr. Adolfo Correa, professor of medicine and director for the Jackson Heart Study, and Dr. Leandro Mena, professor and chair of the Department of Population Health Science, are UMMC’s principal investigators for the study.
The study will include participants from the UMMC-led Jackson Heart Study, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and experts will utilize the facility’s work in the HIV prevention and care field.
“The JHS and ARIC participants are mostly older African American adults, a significant number of whom have high blood pressure, diabetes or cardiovascular and renal disease,” Correa said. “HIV and other immunocompromising conditions might also raise the risk of COVID-19, according to the CDC.”
To date, just over 100,000 Mississippians have contracted COVID-19 with 3,013 people passing away from the virus. According to UMMC, the proportion of Mississippians who have tested positive – about three percent – is among the highest in the United States.
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