CalScope is a population-based seroprevalence study that will help the California Department of Public Health learn how many Californians have antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The seven counties that have been selected for participation in the CalScope study are Alameda, El Dorado, Kern, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Diego, and Shasta.

According to the California Department of Public Health, a person may have antibodies in their blood due to past infection or vaccination. This information will help CDPH understand COVID-19 disease burden and design more effective and efficient mitigation strategies.

“This is a unique, unique study,” said Doctor David Seftel, CEO of Enable Biosciences.

With CalScope, households in these selected counties can take a brief, anonymous and free survey at-home. The COVID-19 antibody test will collect a blood sample using a finger-prick test.

“The use of dried blood spots collected from a highly representative sample of California’s citizens in their homes adds to the novelty and eliminates the bias that distorts the results of most other surveys that rely on people having to go to phlebotomy sites,” Seftel said. 

The department also said up to one adult and one child from an invited household can participate and are eligible to receive up to $40 in gift cards per participant. 

CalScope is mailing invitations to randomly picked households in the selected counties to do the test. If you receive a letter, you must use the access code to order your testing kit. Once you receive your testing kit, you must enter the six-digit code found on your test box to take the survey and take the test. You will then mail the kit back to them and get your results in the mail within 3-4 weeks.

This testing kit will help determine how many people have antibodies to the virus that cause COVID-19, either because of the vaccine or past infection. This study will also help learn more about how the COVID-19 virus spreads and how it mutates.

All this information will be very useful to the California Department of Public Health and local public health departments, so that they can prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

All materials for the CalScope study will be available in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and simplified Chinese.