Nationwide Effort To Test COVID-19 Vaccine Begins, Pittsburghers Lined Up To Participate
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's day one of the Moderna Phase 3 trial and in other parts of the country, some volunteers are already being injected.
In the next few weeks, 60,000 people, including 750 Pittsburghers, will be injected as well with either the vaccine or a placebo and then be tracked and monitored over time to see if it is effective in preventing infection from the virus.
"We are hugely excited to be a part of this and be able to be able to offer it to the people of Pittsburgh to try to make a difference to try to end this a pandemic," said Dr. Judy Martin, head of UPMCs clinical trials.
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So far, 2,300 local people have volunteered and from those UPMC will pick people likely to suffer serious outcomes from the virus — older people and people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes as well as frontline workers at risk of contracting the virus.
"Health professionals, bus drivers, school, teachers. Anyone who is out in the public now," she said.
But registration remains is open. UPMC is part of a nationwide effort called Operation Warp Speed to develop the first successful vaccine. Going forward it will be a test site for vaccines under development by other pharmaceutical companies.
"This will be just hat we hope will be just the first of several vaccine studies so we don't want people to be discouraged if they're not contracted," Martin said.
