Study Background

It has been demonstrated that respiratory virus outbreaks and pandemics, such as influenza, SARS, MERS, and now the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 virus, have a major impact on morbidity and mortality worldwide, as well as having devastating global economic and societal impact. During these outbreaks it is critical to gain a rapid understanding of the exposures and immunity in the general population. Identifying exposures can be accomplished through analysis of serum during an outbreak to identify those with specific antibodies to the pathogen. The knowledge of the level of exposures could greatly impact the response to current and future pandemics.

This study is a prospective, longitudinal, observational, single-center, exploratory, natural history study to collect samples and data from individuals to identify the presence and rate of development of anti- SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in North Carolina.

Primary Objectives: To characterize the proportion of people with detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 from a sampling of adults in North Carolina.

Objectives:

• To identify the incidence of newly detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in the recruited cohort of adults in North Carolina over 12 months after enrollment
• To identify the rate of asymptomatic carriers of SARS-CoV-2 (PCR positive) among participants with detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2
• To associate presence or absence of detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 with respiratory symptoms and future diagnosis with COVID-19
• To determine the natural history of antibody titers among the participants who are found to have detectable antibodies
• To associate demographic and medical factors with incidence of newly detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2