Albany and Dougherty County to take part in COVID-19 antibody study

Courtesy of Augusta University

(ALBANY, GA) – In just a couple of weeks, Albany and Dougherty county residents will be a part of an Augusta University study regarding the prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies.

Augusta Chief of Medicine, Dr Phillip Coule notes why they chose Albany over larger Georgia communities.

Dr Could explains, “We see differences in each of these communities. We know that COVID-19 hit the Albany area particularly hard, so we want to understand more as to how this disease has affected the area, and how it will affect it moving forward.”

The study was approved by both the city and county earlier this summer and will gauge thousands across the county’s zip codes.

Dr Coule notes that the antibody study will also help serve as a template for both local businesses, as well as the school system on how they can re-open.

He says, “It can help inform both personal decisions and perhaps inform the school leadership as to how they might best and safely deploy their personnel.”

The antibody study will also help to see how deep the impact of the initial outbreak in April was, and that there could be a higher number of people carrying antibodies than initially thought.

Dr Coule tells us, “If there’s a larger percent of the population that’s had this disease and have antibodies to it, then that would suggest that the prevalence of this disease was far higher than we originally thought.”

While testing for antibodies may not mean immunity, it’s a large step forward in helping those who’ve had COVID-19.

“You’ve gone through the disease and you know you have the antibodies to it, and that’s a little bit less scary. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have to take the same precautions, but it can help reassure the public that’s already had it that they’ve been through this and help to document that,” says Dr Coule.

The study will begin on September 16th, and will run for up to two weeks.

Registration for the study will be by phone, with the number being released on September 9th.