NM Is Looking at Blood Samples of Children to See if They Have Had COVID-19 in the Past
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
How many kids have actually gotten COVID-19 has been somewhat of a mystery.
“For the most part (they have been) asymptomatic until recently,” said Dr. Veronica Luzzi, of TriCore (Reference Laboratories). “So, the detection goes very silent in the population.”
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The test will determine whether the child was vaccinated, did they ever have COVID-19 and do they have immunity. The study is also looking at the child’s race and where they live.
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“The idea behind this study is to have a snapshot of the immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the agent that causes COVID-19 in the state of New Mexico, in the pediatric population,” Luzzi said.
The state is paying the lab about $250,000 to do the study.
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“I think it will give us information about the spread of the virus and how sometimes being asymptomatic may impact on the level of confidence that you have,” Luzzi said.
So far, TriCore has tested about 1,000 samples and they hope to have the rest done by the end of March.