AURORA | First responders worried that they’ve contracted COVID-19 in Arapahoe County can now receive a series of antibody tests as part of a new partnership with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
The new testing is an effort to determine how pervasive the new coronarvirus infection has been in the community, beginning with first responders, according to university officials.
Arapahoe County announced a partnership Thursday with CU Anschutz researchers to test hundreds of first responders — police officers, firefighters or others working on the ground — and compare the prevalence of their COVID-19 antibodies with the county’s general population.
The study, called the COVID-19 Arapahoe Serosurveillance Study project, will involve administering two antibody tests months apart to up to 500 first responders.
COVID-19 antibodies are an indication that a person contracted the virus, even if the person didn’t show any symptoms. The antibodies likely offer some kind of resistance to contracting the virus again, researchers say. It’s unclear what level of resistance or for how long, however.
In a press release, Arapahoe County officials said the study will not only illuminate how many first responders have been exposed to the virus, but also the state of the general population. Nathan Fogg, emergency manager for the county’s Office of Emergency Management, said in a statement the results will “give the county a more direct understanding of the community prevalence of COVID19 which allows for better and quicker decision making in policy and response.”
Officials encouraged first responders working in the county to enroll in the study, which is already underway.
“We’re doing everything as quickly as possible,” said Rosemary Rochford, professor of immunology and microbiology at CU Anschutz, in the statement.
The partnership is funded with federal CARES Act dollars allocated to the county. Arapahoe County had received $114.5 million of the federal funds and pledged to include investments “increasing access to effective and efficient anti-body testing methods.”