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CASPER: COVID-19 Public Health Survey

Posted on Sep 17 2020

Note: As of Sept. 28, 2020 CASPER, the COVID-19 Community Survey Study, has been cancelled, and the household surveys have been discontinued.

Printable PDF of COVID-19 CASPER Survey: Frequently Asked Questions

Printable COVID-19 CASPER Survey Flyer – English

የማህበረሰብ COVID-19 የዳሰሳ ጥናት – Amharic

Kev Ntsuam Xyuas COVID-19 Hauv Zej Tsoom – Hmong

Qu’annoo COVID-19 Hawaasaa – Oromo

Sahanka COVID-19 ee Bulshada – Somali

Encuesta comunitaria sobre COVID-19 – Spanish

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is conducting a modified Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) to understand the impact of COVID-19 on Minnesota communities. A CASPER survey is a quick way for public health workers and emergency managers to understand the needs of a community.

The information collected from a community helps:

• Make informed decisions.
• Initiate public health action and identify information gaps.
• Facilitate disaster planning, response, and recovery activities.
• Allocate resources, and assess new or changing needs.

What are the goals of the COVID-19 Public Health Survey?

Through this modified CASPER (Public Health Survey), MDH hopes to:

• Understand how COVID-19 has spread in Minnesota communities.
• Understand what factors influence COVID-19 infection in areas with community transmission.
• Explore how COVID-19 transmission and infection rates differ among regions in Minnesota.
• Identify what percent of the population is infected with COVID-19, but do not have symptoms.
• Improve health messaging and prevent COVID-19 spread.

Why should you participate?

• Free COVID-19 Tests: You and your household members can have free COVID-19 tests to know if you have had or currently have COVID-19.
• Learn more about COVID-19: Your participation helps us better understand how COVID-19 is spreading across Minnesota. Thank you for participating! We could not do it without you. You are contributing to stopping the pandemic.
• Let us know your concerns: You can speak to a public health worker about your COVID-19 concerns and its impact on your household.

What to expect during MDH’s CASPER survey:

The MDH CASPER teams plan to sample six regions. Within each selected census block, teams will systematically survey selected households. Team members will be wearing vests with nametags identifying them as part of the MDH CASPER teams. Their vehicles will also have magnets that say “COVID-19 Survey Team” on the side.

Teams will be comprised of public health workers who will conduct a survey on COVID-19 and a healthcare professional who will complete two tests:

• A nasal swab test: a healthcare professional will swab the inside of your nose to see if you currently have COVID-19.
• A serology test (blood test): a healthcare professional will collect a few drops of blood from your finger to see if you have previously been infected with COVID-19. This is done through a finger prick with minimal pain.

Each household will be asked to complete one survey. All household members will be asked for permission to conduct a blood and nasal swab test, and have the right to refuse both tests. Tests will be sent back to the MDH lab for analysis and individuals will be notified of their results if they choose to participate. If your test results are negative, a health care professional will send you a text message with your results. If either of your test results are positive, a health care professional will call you with your results and provide further information.

Why a COVID-19 Public Health Survey is important:

Information is key for decision-making. Information sent to the right people, at the right place, at the right time, is optimal for any successful response. A modified CASPER addresses this by providing valid information rapidly about the health needs of a community to decision-makers.

The survey results will provide information for:

• Study participants on their COVID-19 infection status
• MDH and local public health leadership to understand the spread and inform prevention efforts
• Governor’s office to provide context for decision-making
• MDH-University of Minnesota modeling team to inform COVID-19 modeling efforts
• Media to educate the public

Privacy

All health information collected during the survey will remain confidential. Positive test results will be shared with the health department case investigation team to follow up.    

MDH Contact Information

Please contact health.serosurvey.c19@state.mn.us if you have any questions.