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The first serological panel for covid-19 with national coverage will be held in Portugal. Twelve thousand volunteers are sought who, through a simple blood draw, will be able to know whether or not they have antibodies against covid-19.
The study by the João Lobo Antunes Institute of Molecular Medicine (iMM) aims to determine the proportion of the Portuguese population that developed antibodies against the coronavirus, that is, that they have already been in contact with the virus, but remained asymptomatic.
Six months after the first case of covid-19 in Portugal, information on the incidence of the virus is scarce. Therefore, it is important to draw a picture of the covid-19 in the country, which will be based on the most complete assessment of the prevalence of the infection in Portugal.
Between September 8 and October 7, twelve thousand volunteers will undergo a free serological test, which will allow estimating the percentage of people who have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The analysis is simple: It is only necessary to collect the blood at one of the 314 collection points of the Germano de Sousa Laboratory Medicine Center, spread over 102 municipalities in mainland Portugal and islands.
Study details
The research will be based on a sample with proportional stratification of the Portuguese population by age group – under 18 years, between 18 and 54 years and 55 years or more – and population density of the regions – low, medium and high. The characterization of the sample had the contribution of specialists from Pordata and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon.
The study was funded with two million euros by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Society (SFMS) and the Jerónimo Martins Group (JM).
“Anticipating the impact of autumn / winter, we believe that serological testing is essential to obtain an image of the incidence of COVID-19, in Portugal, allowing more informed decisions to be made to contain the disease,” said José Soares dos Santos , CEO of SFMS.
How can I participate?
Volunteers will be able to register by registering on a website (www.painelcovid19.pt) where you will find all the relevant information. For more information about the study, a helpline is available at the number 808 100 062.
The data will be statistically analyzed and the final results will be published from the end of October.
