NASHVILLE, TN — As COVID-19 vaccines begin to roll out across the country, you may find yourself wondering why clinical trials are continuing and if you should consider participating in a trial.
Here below are answers to these commonly asked questions—and a few others—to help you better understand the trials and why some doctors continue to encourage enrollment.
By participating in a COVID-19 clinical trial, you may receive the vaccine which could give you early protection from the virus.
Those who choose to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial may receive the vaccine. For most studies that are currently underway, half of the participants will receive the vaccine, while the other half will receive the placebo. But you may get the vaccine months before you are eligible to receive it by distribution. It may be beneficial to enroll in a clinical trial to get early protection.
Participating in a clinical trial will give you frequent access to health care providers who will monitor your health.
If you enroll in a trial, you will have access to doctors and staff who will monitor you throughout the process. Though all studies are different, trial staff frequently meet with participants to discuss any symptoms or changes in health.
Research brings new information for virus mitigation best practices.
Clinical trials continue to provide more and more information on the best ways we can protect ourselves and our communities. Diverse representation among trial participants helps us make sure the vaccine will work for all people, so we must continue these trials to ensure we can be confident in the vaccine’s efficacy for all of us.
More options, better protection for more people. Like other illnesses, there are many ways to keep ourselves safe from COVID-19. If you have a headache or cold, you may visit the pharmacy and consider several medications before selecting a treatment. The same is true for COVID-19. Continuing vaccine trials will allow us to better understand all available options.
Additionally, each vaccine product is a little different and requires different resources for storage and use. Some vaccines must be kept in special, ultracold freezers to keep them cold up until use. If a hospital or health care organization does not have the ability to keep the vaccine at this temperature, the communities they serve might not have access to a vaccine that requires that specific storage. It is best to continue testing alternative vaccines with different requirements to ensure all communities are protected. We need vaccines that can work for many kinds of people. More vaccines will help in more vaccine supply availability to vaccinate all people around the world.
For information on COVID-19 and how to be a participant in the COVID-19 vaccine trials at Meharry, please visit https://home.mmc.edu/covid-19trial/ or call 1-800-MEHARRY.
