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So far in Maryland, more than 70,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

If you have tested positive and are 40 or over — whether you are currently ill or have recovered but still test positive — researchers need your help for a study.

This summer, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine are studying whether a small, portable device that measures blood oxygen levels, called a pulse oximeter, can help predict who will become severely ill from COVID-19.

“There are many people who are living at home with COVID. How do you know who’s going to get worse or not? As we know, some patients wait too long to go to the hospital,” decreasing their odds of survival, said Dr. Yukari Manabe, professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the study’s principal investigator.

“Intuitively, if you give people a pulse oximeter [so they can see a worrisome drop in their blood oxygen], they could get to the hospital [earlier].”

Manabe’s team is recruiting COVID-positive patients aged 40 and over for a longitudinal observational study. That’s because, according to the CDC, “The risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk.”

No need to leave the house

The study can be done entirely at home. Once enrolled in the study, people will receive a package in the mail containing a pulse oximeter and thermometer. (They will return both by mail after two weeks.)

The box will also contain several swabs to take different samples of oral fluid as well as swabs from the nose and throat. Hopkins researchers will call to walk participants through the process of sending them a throat sample on days one, three, 7 and 14 of the two-week period.

Rich in antibodies, the oral fluid samples will give researchers a window into the disease’s trajectory, Manabe said.

“Oral crevicular fluid often mirrors what’s going on in the blood,” she said. “In most people, as the virus goes down, the antibody titer goes up.”

Study researchers are curious about household transmission of the virus, too, so they will ask a few questions during those phone calls, Manabe said.

For instance, “We ask who developed symptoms of COVID-19 first, and who else in the household got sick or was tested,” she said.

Although volunteers are not compensated for participating, other than having the use of medical grade thermometer and pulse oximeter, many people have been willing to participate because they want to help scientists learn more about the novel coronavirus.

“You would be amazed at the altruism out there from people,” Manabe said. “There’s a lot to be learned about COVID, and as long as people can [participate] from home, they’re happy to help.”

And one other benefit shouldn’t be overlooked: personal phone calls from medical professionals.

“Doctors will call you if things are going poorly. That’s a benefit,” she said.

To learn more about the study or to volunteer, call (410) 955-8571.