researchers will use antibody tests to detect past infections. by comparing results among the two groups, they hope to better understand the risk factors and inequalities that led to so many cases in the borough.
participants will also be asked to answer detailed questionnaires to help shed light on how their daily lives made them more at risk of contracting the virus, providing a case-by-case look at how transmission took hold.
nomez najac, an outreach worker with the community group parole d’exclues, welcomed the study on wednesday and said he hopes it brings a deeper understanding of what has made the neighbourhood so vulnerable.
najac said many of the underlying issues that have hurt residents in the last 16 months have already been explored, such as high poverty levels, dense living quarters, and so many of them working high-risk, essential jobs.
but if there’s one thing he’s learned from working with residents since the beginning of the pandemic, he said, it’s that they want to be part of the solution, not the problem.
“so i think it’s really important,” najac said of the study. “people have ideas, they’re open to giving information, explaining their situation and proposing solutions. they just need to be accompanied.”