What is it?

The ‘Accelerating SARS-CoV-2 SEroprevalence SurveyS Through Dried Blood Spots’ (ASSESS-DBS) was a study undertaken across British Columbia (BC) Provincial Correctional Centres (PCCs) in 2021.

ASSESS-DBS aimed to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized people through use of dried blood spots for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing, as well as STBBI screening and diagnosis.

Further, the study also aimed to assess the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among people incarcerated or working in BC PCCs prior to the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines.

The study utilised a cross-sectional design with recruitment and sampling taking place from January 4th to February 14th 2021. It included all 10 BC PCCs, including both corrections staff, correctional health services staff, and people who are incarcerated (UBC CREB Number: H20-02402), with 832 participants were recruited using proportional random sampling. This sample represents approximately 40%-50% of all staff and residents across BC PCCs.