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How do you sign up? Will you get paid? Who will cover the costs if you get sick? Here’s a look at the basics.
By Heather Murphy
Maybe you are an altruist looking for a way to help fight the coronavirus. Maybe you are hoping to be among the first to try an experimental vaccine. Or maybe you are just bored or could use a few hundred dollars.
Whatever your reasons, scientists, bioethicists and current volunteers say participating in a vaccine trial can be meaningful. And without hundreds of thousands of volunteers, there will be no vaccine for anyone.
But you may be surprised by the commitment and risks that a trial entails. Here’s what you need to know.
A number of sites maintain lists of coronavirus vaccine trials. The Covid-19 Prevention Network site, created by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, helps connect volunteers to Phase 3 studies.
Currently, for example, Moderna will recruit about 30,000 volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov also lists studies on the Covid-19 vaccine at other stages.
A vaccine trial has 3 main phases. A phase 1 trial focuses on safety. If you participate, you will probably be among the first humans to check the vaccine. Researchers will need to know if this negatively affects you, such as causing a fever or dizziness. As a general rule, they will remain glued to you and a few dozen other subjects after the dose, and then periodically recorded for about a year.
The moment you get the vaccine, the developer does not know if it prevents Covid-19. And even if you do, you’re unlikely to get the right amount. However, phase 1 trials are exciting for some volunteers because doctors can assure all subjects that they will get the experimental vaccine, not an inactive placebo.
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