The University of Virginia has launched a study that could lead to protection for people exposed to COVID-19.
If you have a family member or roommate who comes down with COVID, and you do everything possible to protect yourself, you may still get sick according to Dr. Bill Petri, a professor of infectious disease at the University of Virginia.
"Even if you hand wash and wear masks and isolate yourself from your spouse for example who has COVID-19, you’ve got a one in five chance of getting it," he explains.
But doctors think an injection of the antibody produced by people who’ve had COVID could offer protection. To test that theory they’ve launched a study at 70 medical centers around the country – among them, UVA.
"The federal government has already paid to produce hundreds of thousands of doses of what we’re studying in Charlottesville," Petri says. "If this study shows that’s effective, it will be immediately available for people."
Study participants must be at least 18 years old, exposed to and living with someone who’s tested positive for COVID-19 within the last four days. Earlier studies showed the treatment – which involves four small injections – is safe and could provide protection for at least a month.
For more information, call 434-924-9691
