For Hub City Times

MARSHFIELD – Researchers at Marshfield Clinic’s Research Institute have received a $4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the occurrence and impact of COVID-19 in rural communities.

Primary Investigator Dr. Huong McClean says the study will recruit and follow up to 1,500 people of all ages who live in Marshfield and surrounding areas.

Dr. McClean says enrollment starts next month, by invitation only.

She says the goals of the study are to estimate the rate of new coronavirus infections in a rural community, find out how often people are infected without symptoms, understand how infection risk differs by age group, and compare the immune response in people with symptomatic versus asymptomatic infection.

But she says the research might go farther than that and may eventually aid in how effective any vaccine is.

Dr. McClean adds that the study is an exciting opportunity for her and her team of researchers, and a great opportunity for central Wisconsin.

In addition to this particular study, the Clinic’s Research Institute announced in July it had received a $22.5 million grant to serve as the sole central reference lab in the country to support the CDC on several COVID-19 studies for the next year. One of the main goals has been to learn more about how long people can spread the virus after infection.