Volunteers Sought To Create New Coronavirus Surveillance Network

SEATTLE, WA — Health officials are seeking volunteers to build a new surveillance program to help experts better understand how the new coronavirus spread. Public Health - Seattle & King County is teaming up with Seattle Flu Study to create the surveillance network.

The program is called the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network, or SCAN, and works by collecting self tests from volunteers all over King County. That data will then be used to map how and where the coronavirus is spreading, and eventually teach experts how to slow the spread.

Volunteers for SCAN can be sick or completely healthy before they take the test: experts say both types of applicants are needed to fully understand how the virus moves, and how often it appears in otherwise asymptomatic people.

Volunteers who want to get involved can sign up on the SCAN website. After answering a few questions online, SCAN then may decide to mail the applicant a home test. Upon receiving the test, the volunteer swabs their nose and mails the test back for study. If the test comes back positive for COVID-19, a healthcare worker will immediately call the applicant. If not, they'll get their results in the mail sometime later.

Public Health does want to stress that this is a scientific study, and not a replacement for actual medical care. Anyone who is worried they have the coronavirus is still advised to stay home and contact a healthcare provider for help. The number of tests SCAN can send out is also limited, so it cannot be used as a replacement for regular testing. In total, SCAN will test about 300 people daily, and will determine who receives testing based on where they live and which parts of the surveillance model they need to expand.

For more on SCAN and how it works, visit Public Health Insider.