Major League Baseball players and employees will be participating in a Stanford University, USC, and Sports Medicine Research Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) medical study of COVID-19, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN on Tuesday. The study will test up to 10,000 people to identify coronavirus antibodies, with the hope of understanding how widespread the virus is in major cities.
Researchers found that two antibodies have been present in patients who were diagnosed with the coronavirus early on: IgM and IgG. Test results to determine whether the antibody is present in subjects will be available within 10 minutes through a pinprick.
MLB organized individuals in Major League front offices, concessions, and players from across the country to participate in the study to determine the infection rate of the virus, and ultimately how widespread the virus is. All participants will be able to take the test at home or at team-run testing sites to abide by social distancing standards encouraged by officials.
The antibody tests being used in this study are not the same as the tests administered to diagnose COVID-19, and are not detracting from testing used on the front lines to diagnose those actively experiencing the virus in its contagious stages.
MLB did not pay to participate in the study, and according to Dr. Daniel Eichner, President of SMRTL, MLB utilized the opportunity in alignment with supporting public health. It will not be a shortcut to a faster commencement to resume baseball activity, but will give officials a better idea of when the country will be able to resume activities such as these on a national scale.
