Join the AZ HEROES Study
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.
Inclusion Criteria
- You can participate in AZ HEROES if you are at least 18 years old and not more than 85 years old
- Meet one of these requirements:
----- Work at least 20 hours per week in healthcare, as a first responder, frontline/essential worker (retail, hospitality, community services, construction, etc.) OR
----- Part-time college student (at least 6 units) and work at least 10 hours per week - 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
- Have received the COVID-19 Vaccine
- 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