If you’re interested in enrolling in the AZ HEROES Study, you can complete the Screening Form and a study team member will contact you if you are eligible. You can also contact us at 520-848-4026 or email us at AZHeroes@arizona.edu and a staff member will determine your eligibility.
The AZ HEROES study will include participants from the following groups
- Health care workers
- First responders (firefighters, other emergency medical services (EMS) personnel, law enforcement officers and corrections (such as prison and jail) officers and other personnel)
- Food service: grocery store workers, agriculture workers, food prep and service (delivery, table, etc.)
- Public and other transportation services (bus, taxi, Uber/Lyft etc.)
- Solid waste collectors
- Warehouse and delivery workers
- Utilities (energy, water and wastewater workers)
- Government and community-based services
- Childcare workers
- Group homes/day programs; disability programs
- IT professionals
- Environmental Services, Facilities Managers
- Educators (P-20)
- Front-line financial workers (bank tellers, etc.)
- Hospitality (hotel, etc.) workers
Inclusion Criteria
- You can participate in AZ HEROES if you are at least 18 years old and not more than 85 years old
- All study participants need to be working at least 20 hours per week when joining the study, and at least 50% of their job must involve activities that could bring them within 3 feet of other individuals (including members of the public, co-workers, or patients)
- Participants must have smartphone access or internet access
- All participants must have a mailing address and plan to reside in Arizona for 12 months following enrollment
Exclusion Criteria
- Participating in a COVID-19 vaccine or interventional trial
- Working less than 30 hours per week
- Unwilling to provide verbal and/or electronic confirmation of consent
- Unwilling to self-report occupation, work responsibilities, and prior COVID-19 illness
- Unable to conduct study activities in English or Spanish
All study participants will undergo weekly surveillance and self-collect a respiratory sample for COVID-19, via nasal swab, throughout the duration of the study. This testing is needed to detect when study participants are infected with COVID-19. This applies to both participants that have been infected with COVID-19 prior to the study and participants who are newly infected with COVID-19.
All study participants will also be tested for antibodies to COVID-19 at three points in the study, once upon entering and twice at later points within a nine-month period, via blood & serum samples. The reason for this is to understand the length of time for the antibody response to COVID-19. Participants who have tested positive, via nasal swab, with new COVID-19 infection will be tested for antibodies again.
AZ HEROES is working in coordination with the statewide AZ COVID-19 Antibody Testing Initiative (ATI) conducted by the University of Arizona. The ATI is funded by the State of Arizona to provide COVID-19 serological testing of up to 250,000 Arizonans, including healthcare care personnel, first responders and essential workers statewide. If you are interested in the Antibody Testing Initiative, visit https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu