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UAB Briefs: New site to track COVID-19 in Deep South, grant for testing

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Photo courtesy UAB Media Relations

UAB announced recently that activities and events scheduled to take place on campus during the spring semester were being canceled in an effort to minimize the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

In addition, UAB academics is operating in an online/alternative format with no in-person instruction for the remainder of the term.

For the latest updates on UAB’s response to COVID-19 and health information, visit uab.edu/coronavirus.

Tracking COVID-19 hot spots

A team of experts at UAB have launched an online symptom checker to identify hot spots where the virus is spreading in the Deep South.

The new website, helpbeatcovid19.org, will provide public health officials with badly needed information about underserved areas based on the symptomatic data collected from the region, according to UAB Media Relations.

The site encourages people to take a daily survey about their symptoms.  The symptom tracker will provide up-to-date information that tracks the progression of symptoms in communities in real time.

“The website asks people about their symptoms to produce an interactive map showing how areas are affected and hot spots that are showing a rise in symptoms,” said Sue Feldman, an associate professor in the UAB School of Health Professions and UAB School of Medicine, in a news release. “We hope to learn more about how coronavirus is spreading in rural communities who have health disparities so we can help fight the spread of the disease.”

“During this devastating disease outbreak, we cannot ignore anyone, any population, any demographic,” said Mohanraj Thirumalai, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions.

People can visit the website daily to report their symptoms based on whether they are feeling well or experiencing symptoms related to the novel coronavirus. The questionnaire takes about three to five minutes to fill out.

HelpBeatCOVID19 is a multi-channel geographical symptom tracker platform driven by crowd-sourced, consumer-generated data collection that is also inclusive and representative, according to the news release.

“As people present more symptoms in these communities, public health officials will be able to look at populations in specific ZIP codes, gaining timely information to help identify priorities during the course of the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Sarah Parcak, a professor in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences.

Support for testing

UAB has received a $200,000 grant from Hyundai Hope On Wheels and Hyundai Motor America to help expand drive-through testing for COVID-19, according to UAB Media Relations.

The money will help support existing testing initiatives at the appointment-based Downtown COVID-19 Testing Site, sponsored by UAB Medicine and the Jefferson County Department of Health.

“The Hyundai COVID-19 drive-through testing grants are designed to get urgent financial support to institutions on the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus,” said Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, in a news release.

The donation "will help UAB’s drive-through coronavirus testing site and other sites in Jefferson County provide much-needed screenings for even more people in our community,” said UAB Medicine CEO Will Ferniany.

The grant will help sustain the daily support and supplies needed to keep the testing site in operation, which includes more than 100 volunteers seven days a week. 

Volunteers include clinicians and clinical and non-clinical staff from information technology, telecommunications and call center staffing, registration, laboratory and facilities professionals, and police officers. 

The grant will also be used to expand access for pediatric-specific testing services. Currently, 20 percent of UAB Medicine’s Downtown Testing Site patient population is age 25 and under, and UAB Medicine leadership — along with the UAB Department of Pediatrics and Children’s of Alabama— hopes to expand testing access for this demographic.

UAB also announced new hours for the Downtown COVID-19 Testing Site as of Friday, April 3.

The new hours are as follows:

Patients must call 205-975-1881 first and be screened by a provider who will then schedule an appointment time for testing if the caller has a positive screen for COVID-19 symptoms. 

Young scholars

UAB students Georgia Haggard and Sarah Nealy have been named 2020 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

Haggard and Nealy, who are both members of the UAB Honors College, join a group of 30 UAB students to date who have been awarded the scholarship. 

Each year, UAB may nominate up to four outstanding sophomore and junior students in the science, technology, engineering and math fields the Goldwater scholarships. 

The foundation grants each recipient a scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year that covers the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.

Haggard, a native of Trinity, is a genetics and genomics sciences major who plans to focus her research career on the molecular and genetic mechanisms of cancer. She is the first Goldwater recipient from the new Genetics and Genomics Sciences program.

Sarah Nealy, from Fairhope, is a chemistry major and studies materials chemistry. Nealy plans to work in industry, then transition to an academic position.

The Goldwater Scholarship program began in 1989 to encourage students to pursue careers in engineering, mathematics and the natural sciences. 

The foundation has awarded over 9,000 scholarships worth about $71 million.

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