Study to Determine Incidence of Novel Coronavirus Infection in U.S. Children Begins

A study to help determine the rate of novel coronavirus infection in children and their family members in the United States has begun enrolling participants, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, (NIDCR). The Human Epidemiology and Response to SARS-CoV-2 (HEROS) Study will determine what percentage of children infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, develop symptoms of the disease.

The study will also examine whether rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection differ between children who have asthma or other allergic conditions and children who do not. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is sponsoring and funding the HEROS study.

Study participants will include both healthy children and children with asthma or other allergic conditions. The study team will prospectively follow these children and their families for six months to determine who gets infected with SARS-CoV-2, whether the virus is transmitted to other family members, and which family members with the virus develop COVID-19. The study will enroll 6,000 people from 2,000 U.S. families already participating in NIH-funded pediatric research studies in 11 cities. 

Read the full story here: nih.gov.