The Yale Covid Recovery Study – Conducted at the Yale School of Medicine

Thank you for being interested in the Yale Covid Recovery Study! There have been anecdotal reports from people with Long Covid about changes in their symptoms after getting the vaccine, but there is no scientific evidence to help us understand how the COVID-19 vaccine might change Long Covid symptoms. The purpose of this study is to measure changes in immune response and Long Covid symptoms before and after getting the COVID-19 vaccine by collecting blood and saliva samples, as well as having participants fill out symptom surveys. The blood and saliva samples will provide information about antibodies and T-cells to understand how the immune systems of participants respond to the vaccine. The symptom surveys will track how participants are feeling over time.

You Are Eligible to Participate in This Study If You:

Are currently 12 years or older
Had a positive COVID-19 test (PCR or antigen) more than 2 months ago, had a positive COVID-19 antibody or T-test at any point, were hospitalized for COVID-19 at any point, OR were diagnosed by a clinician as having COVID-19 at any point
Have had symptoms more than 2 months after your initial COVID-19 infection (long covid) that interfere with your quality of life or with your ability to do your normal activities
Plan on getting the COVID-19 vaccine but haven't gotten it yet
Are willing to give a blood and saliva sample 3 times
Living in Continental US

Participants Will Learn Along With Us

We cannot share your individual test results with you, because these tests are not yet approved for clinical diagnosis (although they are approved for research) under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). However, we will share the results of the study and our findings with everyone who participates. You will also be able to download a record of all of your survey responses.

How the Study Works

People who participate in this study will give blood and saliva samples 3 times, once right before you get the vaccine, 6 weeks after getting the vaccine, and then 12 weeks after getting the vaccine. A trained phlebotomist from ExamOne (a part of Quest labs) will come to collect the samples at a time that people schedule using the ExamOne online portal. They can come to people’s homes or meet them at a Quest center. We will help people make appointments.We will also ask you to fill out 4 surveys using REDCap, an online tool for surveys. We use REDCap to do our research because the platform does not share your data and keeps data secure. Your privacy is very important to us. We will not share or sell your protected health information to anyone.

If you have any questions, please contact us at covidrecovery@yale.edu.

How to Join the Study

Thank you for your interest in the Yale Covid Recovery Study! To get started, please click on the link below. You will be asked a few questions to make sure you’re eligible for the study and to share your email with us. We will reach out to you over email to schedule a brief phone call where we will share information about the study and answer any questions you might have. After the phone call, we will share with you the study e-consent (a link to your email). Once you consent to the study, you will be enrolled and we will share the first survey with you (also a link to your email). We will send you an email and will contact you by phone within 2-3 days to answer any questions and make sure that you have the information to give your first blood and saliva sample.