Reports from Briona Arradondo.
TAMPA, Fla. – Vaccine trials opposing COVID-19 are underway across the country, but national agencies are calling on more people to register, especially minorities.
There is a national strain to recruit more varied equipment in vaccine trials, adding ads from the COVID-19 prevention network. Clinical trials are currently in Phase 3, meaning the vaccine is being tested lately on tens of thousands of others to make sure it is and effective.
In Florida, researchers at the Jacksonville Clinical Research Center had been strong.
“I’ve never noticed this kind of reaction to any tests we’ve done before,” said Dr. Michael Koren, medical director of the Jacksonville Clinical Research Center and executive director of Encore Research Group. “We are concerned in any of the platforms mA studies with Pfizer and Moderna, and here in North Florida, we were going to come with more than 500 patients on the test. “
But to make sure the vaccine works for everyone, there has to be diversity. Dr. Koren said he wants to make sure there are no genetic differences in how other other people’s teams respond to the vaccine.
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“It is certainly mandatory for more people from underrepresented teams to participate in coronavirus trials,” said Dr. Kevin Sneed, professor and dean of Taneja College of Pharmacy at USF Health.
Dr. Sneed said researchers are fighting a history of mistrust in doctors and a disastrousness towards experimental medicine, and with Latin American, Native American, Asian, and Black communities disproportionately suffering from COVID-19, Sneed said it is vital to know that the vaccine would work.
“We need to make sure that everything we offer, regardless of the vaccine developed, is safe and effective for each of those specific groups, and the only way we know it is through the clinical trial process,” Sneed said.
As the national crusade continues for more recruitment, Florida clinical researchers tell us they are also doing their part.
We’ve been running that a lot. In fact, one of my fellow medical school classmates, who is African-American, came into town with me with this effort,” Koren said. “I think we’ve made smart progress. So we had a pretty smart performance here. in North Florida with African-American and Latino patients, and we’re working on it all the time. “
The Jacksonville Clinical Research Center plans to open a vaccination center in Inverness. Koren said he is looking for more volunteers for trials, especially minorities and others from high-risk, high-exposure medical groups. If you need to know more, www. encoredocs. com.
If you’re sick:
The Florida Department of Health has a COVID-19 call center at 1-866-779-6121. Officers will answer questions 24 hours a day. They can also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth. gov. sent call in intermediate hours.
RELATED LINKS: Florida’s COVID-19 website
CORONAVIRUS IN FLORURO: What you want to know
IN THE WORLD: CoronavirusNOW. com
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