Instructions for participants
You may be eligible to take part in the COVID-19 Coronavirus infection and exposure in households study, if:
- you live in Helsinki
- a family member in the same household as you has been diagnosed less than a week ago with a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19.
- your family has been placed in quarantine due to the novel coronavirus.
The clinical suspicion of a coronavirus infection alone is not a sufficient criterion to participate in the study.
Study-related procedures
For the purposes of the study, a blood sample will be taken for the determination of antibodies and a sample will be collected for detection of the virus via 1) a nasopharyngeal swab using a nylon stick and/or 2) a saliva sample.
If possible, samples will be taken at the acute stage immediately after the infection has been diagnosed as well as 7, 14 and 28 days after this.
We will also ask you what kind of thoughts you had during the quarantine, how you felt about other people's attitudes during the quarantine, or what affects you felt the quarantine had on your health and well-being.
Potential benefits of the study
Participation in this study will not likely benefit you personally. However, you will be notified by letter if SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus antibodies are found in your blood sample. If antibodies are found, this is a sign of a that a person has already had the infection. The presence of antibodies will not affect the treatment you need.
The presence of antibodies may mean that you have resistance to the disease, but as all the characteristics of the novel coronavirus are not yet known, we cannot guarantee that the researched antibodies will all protect you. If antibodies are found in your blood, we will provide instructions for you and those living with you on the need for isolation or quarantine.
By participating in the study, you will help researchers to gain more information on and an understanding of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus and help decision-makers to take justified measures to control the epidemic.
Want to participate in the study?
If you live in Helsinki, a COVID-19 infection has been diagnosed in your family, and you would like to participate in this study, please contact use via e-mail at coronakoti(at)thl.fi.
More information on coronavirus and COVID-19 infections
The e-mail address for the study is coronakoti(at)thl.fi.
Only those persons who meet the study’s research criteria will receive a reply.