Network-Targeted Strategies for Efficient Community SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Sampling

The primary objective is to use "network targeted sampling design" to detect active and/or undiagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the community and determine the spread or distribution of 1) active infection, and 2) past exposure. The hypothesis is that there are many undiagnosed and/or asymptomatic people in the community who may be unknowingly spreading the virus or have been exposed and have antibodies. We propose to implement respondent-driven sampling (RDS) which leverages effort on the part of seed or index cases to recruit contacts for participation.

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Key information

Conditions

COVID-19 Coronaviridae Infections Coronavirus Infections Infections Lung Diseases Nidovirales Infections Pneumonia Pneumonia, Viral RNA Virus Infections Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiratory Tract Infections SARS-CoV 2 Virus Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Margaret Pendzich

Durham, North Carolina, 27710, United States

About this study

Purpose and objective: The purpose of this study is to use community sampling to detect active, undiagnosed COVID-19 cases and/or determine the spread or distribution of active infection. The objective is to use a network targeted sampling design to direct testing to yield a higher proportion of results which indicate active infection and possibly differentiating between venues or communities where transmission is active and undiagnosed.

Study activities: A person who tests positive for COVID-19 will be given a set of "tokens" to give to contacts that will entitle these contacts to make an appointment to receive a test for COVID-19.

Population groups: The population group will include people with index cases of COVID-19 and their contacts for the past 14 days. As these contacts are tested and receive positive results, they will be given tokens to hand out to their contacts over the past 14 days. The network of positive cases will "blossom" to reveal community transmission and asymptomatic cases, thus giving researchers an indication of disease prevalence.

Data analysis: At the completion of each epoch and at the end of the study, we will scale the social networks up and conduct network analysis using SAS and the igraph package in R. These analyses will be applied in an ongoing manner to guide selection of seeds in subsequent epochs to ensure representativeness and to guide selection of alters to encourage longer referral chain lengths.

Risk/safety issues: The primary risks include discomfort from the nasal swab and risks from the venous blood draw used in testing and the potential loss of confidentiality. All efforts will be made to securely manage the data to ensure participant confidentiality.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Positive COVID-19 test result -or- receipt of a coupon from a previous study participant
Resident of Durham County (for seed participant only)
Willing to undergo COVID-19 test nasopharyngeal swab for RT-PCR testing and blood draw for COVID-19 antibody testing
Age 18+
Speak and understand English

Exclusion criteria

Currently receiving inpatient treatment for COVID-19
Unable to consent

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

Number of Participants with Active Infection

Time frame: 12 months

Number of participants with active COVID-19 infection
Number of Participants with Antibodies Indicating Past Exposure

Time frame: 12 months

Number of participants with antibodies indicating past exposure to SARS-CoV-2

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Duke University

Other

Registry information

Acronym: Snowball

Important dates

Study start: 2020
Primary completion: 2022
Study completion: 2022
First posted: Jun 18, 2020
Registry last updated: Jun 6, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed