Recruitment Begins for First Coronavirus Vaccine Trial

Seattle-area test will pay participants $1,100
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 10, 2020 8:49 AM CDT
Recruitment Begins for First Coronavirus Vaccine Trial
   (Getty/FotoDuets)

We're still expected to be more than a year away from a COVID-19 vaccine, but the first clinical trial is getting underway. The Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle is recruiting 45 volunteers, reports KOMO. Participants will be given different doses of the first vaccine ready for testing, which marks a "faster-than-expected start" for the process, per the Wall Street Journal. The vaccine, developed by Moderna, is not made from the new coronavirus, and researchers emphasize that participants will not be exposed to the actual virus during the 14-month trial.

Though the trial is seen as a relatively fast development, Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has said it could take up 18 months to make sure any vaccine is safe for widespread use in the nation. In the Seattle trial, researchers want participants between 18 and 55 who will agree to two different vaccinations and a series of follow-ups in person and by phone, notes Business Insider. Those who complete the full program will get $1,100. More details on the trial are in this release. (An entire country is now on lockdown.)

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