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CORONAVIRUS 2019 (COVID-19)
How is the California Teachers Study (CTS) responding to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic?
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Like you, CTS researchers and staff are working from home, collaborating via video conference, and trying to do our part to keep ourselves, our families, and our communities safe.
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As the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, our team has been working with partners across the country to evaluate how we can help contribute to research on the virus. We are now participating in two new projects to better understand COVID-19.
COronavirus Pandemic Epidemiology (COPE) Consortium
Multiple studies, including the CTS, have agreed to work together in the new “COronavirus Pandemic Epidemiology (COPE)” Consortium. This COPE consortium includes other large studies in California, as well as other large nationwide studies. Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, are leading the group. More information about COPE is available at this website.
Project Participation:
Anyone in the California Teachers Study is welcome to join this project by downloading the COVID Symptom Tracker app. At this time, participation in the app is limited to smartphones and iPads.
"Public health crises affect all of us and it takes all of us to control them. Partnerships between scientists and research participants like you are very powerful and much needed at this time.”
- Dr. Cheryl Anderson
University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
CTS Steering Committee
If you choose to participate in the app, you can also choose to have your data shared with the California Teachers Study. Combining data from this new study with the data you have already provided to the CTS would help researchers look for more clues about what affects COVID-19 risk, symptoms, and how people recover.
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You should have received a email with detailed instructions about how to participate in this project. If you would like to participate but have not yet received an email from our team, please click here to fill out our Contact Us form to let us know.
American Gut and the Microsetta Initiative
The California Teachers Study is partnering with American Gut and The Microsetta Initiative at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) to collect data and biological samples that will support research on the COVID-19 pandemic.
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You may have read in the news that people are exhibiting different responses to COVID-19. This project aims to help understand why. Some researchers hypothesize that the microbiome—all of the microbes that live on and in the human body, including other viruses and bacteria—may play a role in these differences. By collecting samples and survey data from participants who may or may not have been exposed to COVID-19, this project is trying to better understand if and how our microbiome may play a role in those varied responses.
Project Participation:
Participation in this project is limited by invitation-only to participants living in specific Southern California counties. Participants will be asked to provide biological samples at two points in time: now, and then again in a couple of months. Providing these two sets of biological samples will allow researchers to study how your microbiome changes and whether COVID-19 affects any of those changes.
Invited participants will receive an email with instructions about how to indicate their interest in participating. If you agree to participate, the CTS will share your name and mailing address with the UCSD team. The UCSD team will then mail you a kit with instructions about how to collect three different types of biological samples—a saliva sample, a finger-prick blood sample, and a stool sample. You will also be asked to complete the American Gut consent form and answer a survey about your health.
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Please note: your health and safety is of the utmost importance to our team. This project adheres to all state social distancing guidelines.
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Questions?
Do you have questions about how to register for the Microsetta website, complete your collections, or return your kit to the study? Visit our project page to learn more.