From the CBC:
“48,000
Canadians asked to take blood sample for coronavirus survey”
(The test kit
sent out by Statistics Canada contains gloves, alcohol swabs and a device for
pricking your finger.)
Statistics
Canada is mailing out test kits to tens of thousands of people to study the
prevalence of coronavirus in the country, in the first survey of its kind
launched by the agency. The survey involves asking 48,000 Canadians to
poke their fingers and return a blood sample. That sample will be sent to the
National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg where it will be tested for the presence
of coronavirus antibodies. In order to get a good result, the agency is hoping
for a minimum 45 per cent response rate. Statistics Canada started
sending out the kits — which include gloves, alcohol swabs, a needle for poking
your finger and paper for the blood sample — in November. The survey will
continue through March.
Lee-Anne
Murray, one of 3,500 Prince Edward Islanders targeted for the survey, was
surprised to receive the kit in the mail. She wasn't sure it was legitimate. "It
would have been nice to hear something about it on the news, that they were
even being mailed out to random people," said Murray. (There was some news
coverage of the study back in November, but it received little attention in the
months since then.) Murray said she called Statistics Canada to confirm they
are indeed conducting the study, but did not hear back immediately.
Personal
results protected Peter Jiao of Statistics Canada confirmed to CBC News
that the study is legitimate. Given that this is an official study of
Statistics Canada, Jiao said, the privacy of the results will be protected by
the federal Statistics Act. In addition to the usual protocols the agency uses,
Jiao said Health Canada was consulted for ethical considerations of gathering
this kind of health information. Packages being sent back to Statistics
Canada contain no personal identifying information. That means that if they are
opened by someone who is not authorized, the blood samples can't be linked back
to the sender, he said. Statistics Canada had considered using medical
professionals in some capacity to collect the samples, but determined in order
to get the volume of samples it needs, self-collection was the best option. "We
do understand there is a level of discomfort associated with this test, but do
hope that Canadians see the value in taking the time," Jiao said.
Respondents
get results The test will be able to determine whether someone contracted
COVID-19 and whether they developed symptoms or not. It will also identify
whether the antibodies were the result of receiving a vaccine. From the
tests, Statistics Canada will produce a report that shows the prevalence of
SARS-CoV-2 nationally and by province and territory. Respondents will
also receive a letter with their antibody status. Feedback from the
public on the survey has been generally positive, said Jiao, with people
particularly interested in getting their personal results back. Murray
said she would be happy to do the test, once she gets a bit more information
from Statistics Canada.
^ This is
pretty creepy. I personally wouldn’t send my blood to the Government (Canadian
or otherwise) just because I got a package asking for it in the mail. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.