Question: A couple of days ago, I received an email that claimed to be from UHERO regarding a COVID- 19 survey. Participants would be compensated. I did not access the site. I searched UHERO, but could not find such a survey so I deleted that email. Do you know whether this was legit or bogus?
Answer: “The email is legitimate for a new University of Hawaii research study we launched last week looking to measure the impacts of the COVID- 19 pandemic in Hawaii. At the same time, we are also building the cohort of participants and infrastructure to rapidly measure those impacts in case we get a new pandemic or disaster (hence the longitudinal aspect of the survey),” Ruben Juarez, a UH economics professor and research fellow at the UH Economic Research Organization, said in an email Thursday.
In a longitudinal study, researchers collect information from the same respondents over time.
The email you received, with the subject line “UHERO Health Impact Survey (up to $120 payment),” said UHERO “is looking for adult individuals who are willing to answer at most one paid survey per month to understand the impacts of COVID-19 and other disasters in Hawaii. You will be compensated for each time that you answer the survey, starting with $20 today for a 30-minute baseline survey, and $10 for each follow-up 10-minute survey, not to exceed one per month.”
The study’s “informed consent” page explains that researchers will explore the long-term health effects of COVID-19 on people in Hawaii to recommend policies that correct health disparities and improve community welfare. Survey participants will be asked to share a variety of information about themselves, including specifics about their experience, if any, with COVID-19; this includes the release of medical records. Survey responses will be “de-identified” for analysis at UH, securely stored and not shared with others, it says.
Juarez said 1,200 participants had completed the initial survey by Thursday. The goal is to create a cohort of at least 2,000 respondents, he said.
Other potential participants had reached out directly to verify the email, he said. A point of confusion was that the sender’s “noreply” email address differed from a UHERO email address listed as a contact in the body of the email. This was because automated survey software disseminated the email. Participants “who complete the survey can rest assured that the email is valid and their responses are kept secure at the University of Hawaii,” he said.
Adults who deleted the email or who did not receive it but who wish to participate in the research can email uherors@hawaii.edu with their first name and email address, “and they should be added to the cohort if we have remaining space,” Juarez said.
Q: Did the CDC change its advice about the second COVID-19 booster?
A: Yes. Now the federal health agency says that those 12 and older who are immunocompromised and those 50 and older should receive a second booster dose at least four months after their first booster; prior to Thursday this was an option, not a recommendation.
Regarding first boosters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that children ages 5 through 11 receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer- BioNTech vaccination series; people 12 and up were already eligible. “Whether it is your first booster, or your second, if you haven’t had a vaccine dose since the beginning of December 2021 and you are eligible, now is the time to get one,” the CDC said Thursday.
Mahalo
Mahalo to all of the airport employees and the kind shuttle driver who came to my aid when I fell while exiting the rental car shuttle bus at the Honolulu airport interisland terminal Thursday. You were all very helpful and I am grateful for your concern and assistance. — Robert Alder, Hilo
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