UIC To Test A COVID-19 Vaccine

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As exciting as it is that after months of being on lockdown that we are slowly starting to get back to a new normal - Coronavirus still exists.

While many are working on a potential cure, testing for a vaccine is happening right in our own backyard!

TRUE!

UIC will soon be testing a vaccine for COVID-19 starting July 9th. (A phase 3 clinical study using a vaccine developed by Moderna)

Dr. Richard Novak, the lead investigator for the UIC clinical trial says:

“We want to see if the vaccine will prevent people from getting COVID-19 or if it will prevent people from experiencing severe illness if they do get the disease. UIC has a history of engaging diverse communities in our research programs and I believe our ability to reach the communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic is one of the reasons that we were selected for this clinical trial.” 

Who will the vaccine be tested on?

Dr. Novak says they hope to get 30,000 people to be a part of it.  About 1,000 people will be enrolled through UIC’s trial. Investigators will screen volunteers for the trial to ensure that 40% or more of participants are 65 years and older since they want to test those who are most at risk.

Unfortunately, just because the trial seems to be happening quickly, the trial itself is not.

People in the trial (Half given a placebo and the other the vaccine. Participants will not know which they have) will have weekly blood tests and exams to test for antibodies and symptoms for 2 years!

So a cure seems to be on the horizon, just not as fast as we'd like.

The UIC vaccine trial will be accessible through a number of clinical locations in the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, or UI Health, and will include recruitment in communities like Pilsen, Little Village and Hyde Park.

Interested in volunteering in the vaccine trial? Call UIC researchers at 312-413-5897 or email ProjectWishDOM@uic.edu