CINCINNATI – After months of fighting the pandemic, researchers from across the country, in addition to the University of Cincinnati, are asking volunteers to participate in the third phase of a possible Modern COVID-19 vaccine.
Researchers want 30,000 volunteers from across the country to participate in the trial, to which 500 of the Tri-State add up.
The way this phase of vaccine progression works is that volunteers will get two doses of the prospective vaccine, and researchers will monitor participants’ fitness through an app downloaded to their cell phones. Participants will continue to monitor their fitness for two years.
“Our hope,” said Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum, professor of Clinical Medicine and Division of Infectious Diseases at UC, “is that the vaccine produces proteins very similar to COVID-19, and that the framework has an immune reaction that will oppose a serious infection or disease. “
The University of Cincinnati is one of 89 sites in the United States that decided to participate in this phase of the trial.
To volunteer in the trial, you must be 18 years of age or older, cannot have COVID-19, and cannot take medicines that simply suppress your immune system.
Fichtenbaum also said local researchers had contacted local leaders in black and Hispanic communities to verify the participation of more people from populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in the trial.
“The types of objectives we are interested in in Array . . . are at least 30% of our underrepresented populations, so they have a chance to participate,” Fichtenbaum said.
If you would like to participate in the trial, you can call THE UC researchers at 513-245-3417 or email them uccovidresearch@uchealth. com.