Video: Coronavirus vaccine testing is underway. What’s being done locally? “Chicago Tonight” speaks with Dr. Richard Novak of UI Health, the lead investigator of UIC’s vaccine trial with Moderna; and Dr. Babafemi Taiwo of Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, the lead investigator of Northwestern’s vaccine trial with AstraZeneca.
Northwestern Medicine is seeking 5,000 volunteers who are at risk of exposure to the coronavirus to join its newly launched COVID Prevention Trials Registry.
Individuals must be at least 18 years old to participate in vaccine studies and other studies to prevent COVID-19 infection and work in jobs that put them at higher risk of exposure to the virus, including health care workers, people who work at grocery stores or retail outlets, public transportation employees, factory or plant workers, and people who live or work in congregated living facilities like nursing homes.
Researchers are also seeking to include people from communities that are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, including older adults, people with underlying health conditions, African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.
“We are casting a really wide net so we can make sure we have enough people identified and ready to go for upcoming studies,” said Dr. Karen Krueger, principle investigator of the registry and a Northwestern Medicine physician. “This is vital to individuals’ and community health during the coronavirus pandemic.”
Participants will be asked to provide information about their health history, contact information and risk for COVID-19. Researchers will contact registry participants when an appropriate study based on their health profile is being conducted. Those signing up for the registry will also be asked whether they’d be interested in being contacted about participating in other prevention research unrelated to COVID-19.
The first study, expected to launch in August, will be a phase three trial investigating the AstraZeneca LLC COVID-19 vaccine drug candidate, which was shown to be safe and boosted antibody responses in the phase 1/2 trial of the drug. Trials are expected to be held at Northwestern Medicine’s downtown Chicago campus, Lake Forest Hospital and Central DuPage Hospital.
Anyone who joins the registry can decline to participate in any of the studies and opt out from further contact at any time.
For more information, send an email, check out the COVID Prevention Trials Registry consent form, or call 312-694-0414.
Contact Kristen Thometz: @kristenthometz | [email protected]
