The next battleground in the fight to stop the coronavirus could be your living room. Starting today, health experts will visit randomly selected homes in Fulton and DeKalb counties to conduct antibody surveys.
It’s a partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health and Atlanta-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agencies will have teams visit randomly selected homes starting Tuesday through May 4. People will be asked to answer questions and provide a blood sample for antibodies tests.
Only homes that are selected can participate and the survey and samples are strictly voluntary.
“We encourage everyone who is visited by the teams to participate in this very important survey that can help public health officials assess how widespread COVID-19 is in certain areas,” said DPH commissioner Dr. Kathleen E. Toomey. “This is another way that Georgians can play a role in helping fight this virus.”
Antibody tests will not detect active cases, but they can help officials better understand how many people may have already been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.
Patients should still rely on testing sites to determine if they have the virus.
If health experts show up at your door, officials say to make sure they have on a CDC vest, a badge and letter verifying who they are.