Research studies are designed to gain scientific knowledge that may help people in the future. 

Please take your time in making your decision as to whether or not you wish to participate in this research study. You may also discuss this study and your decision to participate with your friends and family. If you have questions about the study, you can reach study staff at the study call center at 855-559-1861 or emailing COVID-19 Community Research Partnership.

Anyone in the community can participate in the study. We hope to have increased representation from African American and Latinx community members to ensure we have adequate data to better understand how COVID-19 is affecting members of those communities.

If you decide to participate, you will first read the informed consent and provide your electronic signature.

Informed consent is important because it:

• Describes the study
• Explains why the study is being done
• Describes what is expected from you
• Describes the risks and benefits of taking part
• Explains how to contact the study team with questions

If you read the informed consent and decide that you don’t want to participate in the study, that’s OK.  Please do not sign the consent form if you don’t want to participate.

As you are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency. 

By studying who has been exposed and possibly infected, better identifying the timing and circumstances of exposure, and where infection patterns of the COVID-19 are advancing, researchers can help the medical community better understand the pandemic and develop strategies and treatments to contain and possibly eliminate it.  

The goal of this study is to collect information about the community’s COVID-19 exposures, symptoms and health care visits due to the disease.  If you are a health care worker, the study will collect information on your use of personal protective equipment.

There is no cost for participating.

The information collected about you is for research purposes only. This information will not be used to guide your medical care. Your doctor or health care provider will not have access to this information. 

The research study cannot provide medical care or COVID-19 testing if you become sick. The questionnaires and at-home testing are for research purposes only.

We are working with the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity and the Integrating Special Populations program at Wake Forest to engage with our diverse Winston-Salem community. If you are interested in the study or have questions, please contact 855-559-1861 or email COVID-19 Community Research Partnership. 

After completion of the online informed consent, you will be asked to complete a brief enrollment questionnaire. 

You will receive an email with a link to complete an online registration form. The form can be completed on your smartphone, tablet or computer. 

Periodically, for up to one year, you will receive a link to a very brief questionnaire to complete.

It takes less than 30 seconds to complete, and you can answer the questions on your smartphone, tablet or computer. Initially, you will receive the questionnaire every day. Over time you may receive it less often. The study will continue as long as there are concerns about the pandemic in our region; however, you can stop receiving the questionnaires at any time. 

The questionnaire will cover the following: 

• Your COVID-19 illness history or symptoms
• Your visits to the doctor and treatments
• Your contact with other sick people
• If you are a health care worker, your use of personal protective equipment
• If you’ve received a vaccine for COVID-19

The information collected in the questionnaire will be used for research purposes and will not be entered into your medical records.

Some participants may also be asked to complete an in-home test kit for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). You can decide to only complete questionnaires or you can add the at-home testing to your participation.

In this part you may be asked to complete monthly at-home tests which detect antibodies to the virus. At-home testing requires a finger prick for collecting a sample of your blood on a stick. Your kit will instruct you to either:

• Take a picture of the test stick and send the picture using an app on your smart phone; or
• Package the test stick in an enclosed return mailer and put into the US mail.

The at-home testing does not diagnose COVID-19. Testing is for research purposes only.

Questions on this research study can be answered by calling 855-559-1861 or emailing COVID-19 Community Research Partnership.