KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines depends heavily on careful evaluation of study participants.
Participants in the coronavirus vaccine trials had to fill out a standardized questionnaire evaluating any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 every day. In addition, samples for viral shedding in saliva or the nose were taken every second to fourth day to evaluate how long the virus is shed after a vaccine.
Key data, like fever and pulse oximetry data, were also recorded.
All of this was done to rate the progression and duration of symptoms, as well as the duration and severity of side effects.
In a battle against time, the researchers tried to anticipate any potential issues that could occur when the vaccine being studied was made available to the public.
