USC, Los Angeles conduct coronavirus antibody study
Insight from Dr. Neeraj Sood, vice-dean for research at the USC Price School of Public Policy.
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Dr. Neeraj Sood said on Thursday that a new coronavirus antibody test would be a “game-changer” for scientists as public officials grapple with the key question of how and when to reopen the economy.
“The only way to win this war against the virus is to understand the virus, to understand the enemy,” said Sood, the vice dean for research at the University of Southern California's Price School of Public Policy, on “Fox & Friends.”
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Sood’s comments came after USC partnered with the Los Angeles Health Department to test residents for coronavirus antibodies.
Fox 11 Los Angeles reported last week that the antibody testing began at six different locations in LA County. The testing is considered to be the first kind of testing in the U.S.
Sood, an expert in infectious diseases and epidemiology who is leading the initiative, explained to Fox 11 that “each participant gets a tiny prick on the finger for a drop of blood.”
“A thousand LA County residents were invited to participate in the study… chosen to be a true representative across a section of people,” Fox 11 reported.
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Sood said that the antibody test would help scientists identify the number of people infected by the coronavirus and how severe their cases turned out.
“How many people have just had mild infections? How many people had more severe infections? And, in fact, how many people have died from the virus?”
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Sood said researchers are making progress on understanding how the virus attacks.
“Over time, are more people getting infected with the virus and how fast is that happening? That’s key to understanding when this epidemic will end and when we can reopen the economy,” Sood said.