Platforms to help identify asymptomatic carriers
of COVID-19
Identifying asymptomatic carriers of the novel coronavirus is crucial in preventing the spread of COVID-19, particularly in healthcare settings. C3G’s Toronto Node has developed several applications for this purpose across various health institutions. The Mt. Sinai Hospital and Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute’s Stay-Healthy-At-Work (SHAWL) study uses such a web application for Mt. Sinai and Lunenfeld employees to share their results from research-grade take-home blood and saliva tests for the identification of antibodies and viral particles. A similar platform was designed for the University Health Network’s Research Platform to Screen and Protect Healthcare Workers (RESPECT) study for the collection of results from healthcare worker nasopharyngeal and blood tests to determine presence and past exposure to the coronavirus. Since its initial deployment for UHN frontline workers, the RESPECT study has expanded to include a broader range of clinical and research personnel and individuals in the food industry. Beyond COVID-19 carrier status, it is now also being used to examine vaccination rates and the implications therein. Such an application has likewise been developed for collecting at-home blood test results from University of Toronto students.
Published: October 25, 2021