Test with Coronavirus vaccine: Here’s what it looks like

When Louis, a 45-year-old Las Vegas resident, heard that Moderna was looking for volunteers to enroll in his Covid-19 vaccine, he accepted.

Moderna, a biotechnology company in Massachusetts, is launching its Phase 3 clinical trial this summer for its mRNA-1273 vaccine. The federal government invested in Moderna as part of its ‘Operation Warp Speed’, an attempt to make a coronavirus vaccine available as soon as possible.

The third leg of the clinical trial involves testing an experimental drug as a vaccine in humans. On July 22, the Wake Research – Clinical Research Center of Nevada agreed to test the Moderna vaccine on 300 to 500 people as part of a broader push to study the effectiveness of the vaccine. Some 30,000 people are testing the Moderna vaccine in cities around the United States.

Las Vegas was selected because it has been a hotspot for the virus, with Clark County accounting for more than 49,000 of the 57,000 confirmed cases in Nevada, according to The New York Times.

Louis was selected because he had a high risk of catching the virus that had given his day job. He works at one of the most popular bars on the strip.

Louis, a bartender in town, wears a mask and does his best to keep a safe distance from his customers. But despite his best efforts, he acknowledges that he is still exposed to many people through work. Louis, like many other Americans in the hair industry, was furloughed from his job in the spring. In recent weeks, he has been recalled for the sporadic shift as things began to pick up again.

“I know people who have been sick and I’m scared,” he said by phone. “I don’t see this going away unless someone can come up with something to save or lower it.”

Louis felt he had to do his part because a good friend in the mid-40s spent 31 days in a coma after contracting the virus. That hit him hard, he shared, because his friend is also a bartender who works out almost every day.

“He’s fit like a fiddle,” Louis said. “He even trained for a marathon when he got sick.”

Louis refused to give his full name for the story because he did not have permission from Moderna to do so. He also shared concerns about potential backlogs of people who oppose vaccinations.

But he wanted to speak openly about his experience, as he is increasingly concerned about the ‘disinformation campaigns’ related to faxes, which he fears people might get out of it when one is approved.

In the US, according to recent polls, only half to three-quarters of people will receive a vaccine when one is made available, which may hinder their effectiveness.

“I want people to see that if this man can do it, they can do it too,” he said.

Louis first heard about the vaccine species in the news. He and his girlfriend decided to sign her up. Both had friends and co-workers seen getting sick from the virus, so it felt personal. He immediately received an email with a phone number to call.

Louis answered a few questions about his age, medical history and profession. The following week, after his information was processed, he made an appointment to come the next day.

The whole process took about five hours once he arrived at the site for clinical trial. According to Louis, the first steps were involved in signing a 20-page consent form, with information on the design of the study and the various side effects. He also received routine blood work and a Covid-19 test.

That afternoon, August 5, he received his first dose of the vaccine. He did not experience any pain or discomfort because he was focusing on a painting in the corner of the room. In about a month he was told to go back for a second dose.

Louis had some concerns about moving to a physical site, seeing the risk of exposure, but he said the 10 or so participants there were on top of each other that day and everyone was wearing masks. Most were in their 40s or older. He did not see many young people in their 20s in the room, even though the trial is open to those over 18. About two-thirds of the people in the room were white, and the gender ratio was about 50-50, he said.

In general, clinical trials tend to be white, male, and higher income. The coronavirus vaccine studies may not be different, although all major companies have expressed a desire to recruit a more diverse population. Louis felt that they were making an effort, at least on his research site, to bring in a more diverse group. But it can be a challenge when research studies take place on weekends, requiring participants to have access to smartphones, and can be a long drive away.

“Trials are designed to meet the most privileged members of society,” said Jonathan Jackson, director of the CARE Research Center of Massachusetts General Hospital, which works with communities to improve representation in clinical trials. “The companies behind the faxes have said they want more variety, but I’m worried there have been no more enforcement or concrete goals.”

Louis went away with an information pack to answer any questions he might have. He was advised to remember to post her on social media about his involvement in the trial, but he was told he could talk to friends and family about it. Louis said he has not told anyone in his life because he does not know how they will react.

Since getting the first shot, he has been downloading an app that he will use for seven days to log all the symptoms he may be experiencing. He is also said to receive a phone call every week to talk more about his symptoms (if he is single). He said it has been fairly mild. He is a bit fatter than normal, and it has been a bit more of a challenge for him to train.

He has been given several phone numbers that he can call in case things go awry. Louis is said to be able to test for the coronavirus at any time on the site if he experiences symptoms or fears he is exposed.

“There are a lot of them coming over with you,” he said. “I felt really supported … there was not a single group of people who told us that they would stick us in their arms and then send us home with a ‘lucky button’.”

Louis does not know if he received the actual vaccine, or if he has a placebo. About half of the volunteers will receive a saline solution. Participants are deliberately not told in which batch they are.

Louis has some suspicions that he received the vaccine himself because he felt some side effects. But it is plausible that it is just general malaise like a bug.

Louis said he hasn’t changed his lifestyle much since he got the shot.

While he understands it, the whole study is designed to evaluate the safety, efficacy and immune response in response to the vaccine to prevent Covid-19 up to two years after the second dose is administered. The Phase 3 trial focuses on effectiveness, as well as how well it works.

To determine if it provides protection against the virus, the test deliberately targets people who are on the front lines or in roles that mean they are more likely to be exposed to Covid-19.

But he still takes precautionary measures as best he can.

“I will not walk around without a mask,” he said. “I do not think I’m superman.”

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