Symptom-Based Markers for COVID-19 Transmission

Contact Network Transmission Modeling of Healthcare Associated Infections: Symptom-Based Markers for COVID-19 Transmission

In this study, COVID-19 positive patients will be added to a bidirectional texting program to receive daily surveys about their symptoms with the infection. This data will further the understanding of COVID-19 symptom development throughout the infection period, as well as how those symptoms vary at different points of the day. This study will be a single cohort, observational study of COVID-19 patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Covid19

Detailed Description

One important approach for decreasing COVID-19 transmission in healthcare settings is to prevent healthcare professionals from working while ill. Currently, facilities are asking screening questions and measuring temperatures to help identify symptomatic healthcare professionals and exclude them from providing patient care. Simulations can be used to inform the effectiveness of different screening approaches, but the results of these simulations depend upon the effectiveness of the intervention, e.g., the ability to identify healthcare professionals on their way to work, or to study the impact of healthcare professionals returning to work too early. Thus, simulations must necessarily depend upon realistic disease parameters: for example, it is suspected that a non-trivial proportion of patients with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic or have minimal symptoms, but the relative size of the asymptomatic subpopulation is unknown.

The plan for this study is to develop a method for granular measurement of twice-daily symptoms from healthcare professionals and other research subjects of similar ages. After being diagnosed, the goal is to determine what symptoms participants have and how long they have had them. This will be done using a previously-developed bidirectional texting platform to query participants about symptoms at least twice a day for ten days post diagnosis. Participants will be asked about subjective symptoms, including fevers, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, etc. They will also take their temperature twice daily during the recovery period, which will help determine the effectiveness of screening based on symptoms and/or thermometer readings.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 214

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Iowa
    • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
      • University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 100 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will include patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (UIHC). Approximately 5,000 people have already tested positive for COVID-19 in Johnson County alone, and numbers are continuing to increase. The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics see many patients from outside of Johnson County as well.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Fluent in English
• Tested positive for COVID-19

Exclusion Criteria:

• Prisoners
• Unable to provide own informed consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
COVID-19 Positive Patients; The study only includes one cohort: COVID-19 positive patients. Enrollees will not receive any therapeutic intervention; participants will simply report their temperature and any symptoms experienced twice per day for 10 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body Temperature	Body temperature taken each morning and evening throughout COVID-19 infection period.	10 days
COVID-19 Symptoms	Any symptoms experienced throughout COVID-19 infection period (aches, cough, decreased sense of taste and/or smell, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, headache, nausea, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath).	10 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Iowa
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alberto M Segre, PhD, University of Iowa

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 15, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 19, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): May 19, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 10, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 10, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): December 11, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 26, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 8, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Respiratory Tract Infections; Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; COVID-19
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202007450

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No