Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I join the IASO study?
The IASO study is not accepting new participants at this time. Thank you for your interest, though!
2. Will IASO be accepting new participants in the future?
At this time, we cannot say. While the NIH may extend the IASO study past its original end date in July 2023, it is unclear whether or not IASO would need to recruit more participants or simply continue with the current participants we have now.
3. Can I continue participating if I've been vaccinated or if I remain unvaccinated?
Yes. We are asking our participants to try and get a blood draw before – or as close to- their first, or next, COVID vaccine. In addition to a sample around 3-4 weeks after their vaccine. This helps the study get a baseline sample that is helpful for measuring vaccine effectiveness. We will reach out by email with more information about this blood draw and see if you are interested in this extra blood draw post-vaccination.
4. What happens if you test positive for COVID?
If you test positive for COVID during the study, please email the study team to let us know. If you have a picture of your test or a PDF of the result, please include that in the email.
The study does offer additional PCR testing to measure the viral shedding over time. If you agree, you would get swabbed once a week until you test negative twice. However, if you are not interested in serial testing, we do offer the option to have just one PCR test collected for the study instead.
If you are interested, we would send your information to our OHS contact who will get you set up for testing at an OHS testing site. These tests are free of charge (they will be billed on the study) and optional, you can opt out at any time.
To note, the results of the serial swabs are returned to you and will appear in your medical record. If you have a procedure or appointment upcoming, there is a chance these appointments could be canceled because of a positive PCR result in your chart. If this is a concern, you may consider not signing up for the serial PCR testing through the hospital.
If you are still interested in the study measuring viral shedding over time, we do offer a 6 or 12-week self-swab sub-study where swabs are self-collected, and results are not returned to you (thus would not appear in your chart). Either way, the decision to participate or not in this part of the study is up to you!
5. Where can I get my blood drawn for the study?
You can visit ANY MLabs blood draw site for study blood draws. A list of locations, hours, and contact information for the MLab sites can be found here: https://mlabs.umich.edu/blood-draw-station
6. I'm in the IASO study and I got a new vaccination. Does the study need to be updated?
You are free to email us directly at IASOstudy@med.umich.edu if you get your vaccine. We will also ask a few questions about vaccination in our bi-monthly surveys so if you don’t notify us directly we will capture this information in our survey.
7. What happens if an IASO participant leaves their job at the University?
If your employment status with the University of Michigan changes, please notify the IASO team. While we would love to have you continue in the study, this may not be possible if you are relocating, are unable to return to Ann Arbor regularly, and/or are unable to utilize MLab resources. Removal from the study will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
8. Does the IASO study test for new SARS-CoV-2 variants?
We will be sequencing respiratory samples for new variants, but due to IRBMED requirements we are unable to return that information to participants.
9. What have you learned from the study?
The IASO study is still ongoing. However, a list of publications from IASO and collaborators can be found on our Publications page!
10. When is the study "done"?
The NIH has provided IASO with funding until July 31st, 2023. However, the NIH may renew funding for the program, extending the IASO study.