PALM SPRINGS — As Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to infect people worldwide, the U.S. is being particularly hard-hit, with California being one of the largest centers of infection.

“With the Coachella Valley experiencing an extreme surge in new COVID-19 cases, Desert Oasis Healthcare is excited to partner once again with Altura to offer this important study to our members and the larger community,” Brian Hodgkins, PharmD and Executive Vice President of Clinical Operations at Desert Oasis Healthcare (DOHC.), said in a prepared statement. “The goal of the study is to help all of us to better understand, prevent and treat COVID-19 now and over the long term.”

As of July 28, California’s positivity rate – a key indicator of community spread – is trending upward in the 14-day average. Hospitalization rates are also trending upward in the 14-day average, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The 7-day average number of new cases is 9,397 per day. The 7-day average from the week prior was 9,189. California has 466,550 confirmed cases to date.

There have been 7,417,866 tests conducted in California. This represents an increase of 121,288 over the prior 24-hour reporting period. As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, an increase in the number of positive cases has been expected – increasing the importance of positivity rates to find signs of community spread.

There have been 8,518 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

A total of 37 counties are required to close indoor operations for certain sectors based on the July 13 order to slow community transmission.

“We’re delighted to be working with DOHC again on such an important and timely research study,” said Pete Fronte, CEO of Altura. “Our goal is to make it easy for medical practices, healthcare professionals and employers to offer a study that anyone can join so that we can learn about and ultimately stop COVID-19.” After signing up for the study at the link below, participants will be emailed a short survey every two weeks. Since long-term data is critical for understanding the virus, the study will last for two years with participants answering questions about their health, COVID-19 testing status and results, access to healthcare and other necessities – like medications and food – and their use of preventive measures. Each month that participants have completed a survey, they will have the option to be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate. All responses and data is kept secure and confidential.

DOHC members participating in the COVID-19 study will have the option of sharing certain responses with their healthcare team. All study participants will also have the option of participating in other COVID-19 studies. After registering at the link here – also found on the home page of  DOHC here – those interested will receive email instructions about how to get started with the study and begin to help defeating COVID-19.

 

 

 

 

 

Image Sources

  • Online study: Pixaby