Providing you have not tested positive for COVID-19, you have a chance to participate in a 25-month study and be compensated for it.
During the study period, you will receive two injections. And if you complete the study, you will be paid in the neighborhood of $1,500 to $2,000.
The clinical research is carried out by Meridian Clinical Research and overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration. In Nebraska, the vaccine studies are being done in Grand Island, Norfolk and Omaha.
According to a news release, the clinical trials will “help determine the safety and efficacy of investigational vaccines intended to protect against SARS-Cov-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.”
Locally, the trial site is Grand Island Clinic.
Dr. Adam Brosz, a family physician, said Meridian is looking for three groups of people. To volunteer for the research, you have to belong to only one of the population groups.
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One consists of people 65 years and older regardless of medical condition. If you’re 65 or older, you’re a candidate.
Essential workers make up the second category. These people can be health care workers, people who work at places like JBS or Hornady, grocery store employees and even city employees who are essential workers, Brosz said.
The final group needed consists of people 18 to 64 who have chronic medical conditions. That consists of “basically anybody who would be at risk for severe illness if they got the virus,” Brosz said. The group includes people with diabetes, hypertension, lung disease, heart disease, liver or kidney disease.
The Nebraska sites and six other cities are participating in Phase 3 of the trials.
“This phase is going to consist of 30,000 patients nationwide,” Brosz said.
Organizers will split the group in half. “Half are going to receive the vaccine. Half are going to receive a placebo,” Brosz said.
The investigators and the patients will not know who’s getting what, he said.
There is no cost for those who participate. It’s entirely voluntary, and “their insurance doesn’t get billed,” Brosz said.
Those accepted for the clinical trial will make seven scheduled visits during the course of the 25 months.
On the first visit, a representative will go through the person’s medical history. If you meet the study criteria, you will get the first injection. “And then 28 days later, you get a booster,” Brosz said.
In between visits, subjects will keep a symptom diary to write down how they’re feeling and if they’re having any side effects. Periodically, participants will have their blood drawn so that researchers can monitor the vaccine and antibody levels.
Kids are not invited to participate. In addition, “We’re generally not doing pregnant women” or people 18 to 64 who are healthy, he said.
Also not invited to take part are some people taking medications to suppress their immune systems.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, “you’re not a candidate for the study,” Brosz said.
The first two phases of the study were done elsewhere.
It’s important to point out that participants won’t be injected with the coronavirus.
The vaccine “actually uses the body’s own cells to generate this immune response without giving people the virus,” Brosz said.
If you’re interested, visit mcrmed.com/covid-19-vaccine-study or contact the Meridian call center at 402-934-7563.