Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Emergency Competitive Revisions for Social, Ethical, and Behavioral Implications (SEBI) on COVID-19 Testing among Underserved and/or Vulnerable Populations

This Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) highlights the urgent need to understand the social, ethical, and behavioral implications (SEBI) of COVID-19 testing among underserved and/or vulnerable populations across the United States through the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics for Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) initiative. The overarching goal is to understand factors that have led to disproportionate burden of the pandemic on these underserved populations so that interventions can be implemented to decrease these disparities. The funding for this supplement is provided from the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, 2020.

The Office of the Director is therefore offering Emergency Competitive Revisions to active eligible grants and cooperative agreements addressing the objectives described below. This NOSI is one of four related RADx-UP opportunities. The purpose of this SEBI NOSI is to identify, analyze, and address the social, ethical, and behavioral factors likely to influence access and uptake of COVID-19 testing in underserved and/or vulnerable populations. Single or mixed methods approaches involving community partners will inform the development and evaluation of such testing programs. These studies will assess the ethical, historical, healthcare, social and contextual factors surrounding COVID-19 testing, as well as how cultural beliefs and attitudes, perceived expectations, and preferences influence the ability and willingness to get tested and participate in follow-up evaluations. Findings will be used to develop interventions to mitigate barriers to access and increase uptake of testing. Studies focused on unintended consequences of COVID-19 testing in these groups are also of interest when related to social and ethical issues.

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