DHEC partnering with UofSC to lead SC STRONG initiative to evaluate coronavirus infection and immunity over time

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO)– The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control says they are teaming up with the University of South Carolina to lead a year-long  initiative looking into COVID-19 infection and immunity. The program is called SC STRONG which stands for Sampling and Testing Representative Outreach for Novel coronavirus Guidance.

SC STRONG will be led by Dr. Virginie Daguise, DHEC’s Bureau of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Director, and Dr. Melissa Nolan, assistant professor and epidemiologist with the UofSC Arnold School of Public Health.

SC STRONG relies on participation from the public. DHEC says 32,500 South Carolinians have been randomly selected to participate and they will be mailed a blue envelope inviting them to take part. DHEC says participants will be asked to take an online survey and take a free coronavirus test which entails both a nasal swab and blood sample in order to show present and past infection.

Randomly selected individuals include people over the age of five with parents being responsible for minors’ participation. Officials say the testing of children will involve an oral swab and finger prick for the blood sample. Participants will be notified of their test results within a few days.

“We’re trying to better understand the patterns of transmission within specific populations and we’re looking for existing immunity within individuals who have already recovered from infection,” said Dr. Nolan. “We’ll be using this information to make projections about the dynamics of both the spread and the immunity within specific populations – by geographical area, for example – so we can help inform public health officials’ and policymakers’ decision about the distribution of resources, such as vaccinations, testing, treatment and more.”

The SC STRONG team will compile reports and routinely post them to their website, scstrong.sc.edu. These reports will include geospatial hotspot analysis, community herd immunity rates and infectious disease forecasting models.