Randomized COVID-19 Testing in Vulnerable Communities and Risk Tool Creation (FightCOVIDMKE)

Fight COVID MKE used randomized COVID antibody testing in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin to measure the population proportion infected and how this proportion varies over time and with patient demographic and health characteristics. Through partnerships with 20 primary care health centers and with local churches and community agencies to conduct community outreach and engagement, the study oversampled minority, poor, and elderly populations to obtain more precise estimates for these groups. Fight COVID MKE gathered patient-reported health data and leverage extensive data linkages from Wisconsin state data partners to assess the risks of infection progressing to symptoms, hospitalization, ICU stay, or death and to calculate population infection rates as a function of patient and community characteristics. A web-based risk assessment tool was developed in English and Spanish to allow individuals, families, and health care professionals to assess individual risk and advise high-risk individuals on risk mitigation as well as vaccination.