We have, old as we are, and they seem so far to want us.
The screeners on the phone are unsure of my answers in regard to the biologic I take for psoriasis, which is an auto-immune thing, but they said a medical person would be calling. My fella has an in-person interview on Tuesday. We’re excited to help, if they’ll let us.
It’s a legit firm, and we’ve spoken with our medical providers, so we’ll see.
I sent in my details to volunteer but have not been called. I have some medical conditions that would make me high risk and so really isolate myself to limit contacts. Not sure if that would make me a good candidate for a vaccine trial.
I also sent my details and have not been called. Frankly, I don’t expect to be. Hawai’i is bad enough, as a location for participating in a trial, but I don’t even live on the most accessible island of Oahu, I’m on what we refer to as one of the “neighbor islands.”
But if they miraculously do call me, I’m interested.
I gave my info, but I expect that my exposure level is so low that they probably don’t want me. At least, that seemed like a thrust of the questions. Which makes sense. They’ll want groups with enough exposure risk that an effective vaccine will make a difference. I haven’t heard back from them.
I volunteered, but they haven’t contacted me. Dunno why not – I live in a high-prevalence state and have a job with at least some face-to-face contact as of last week, so you’d think I’d be pretty high on the list, but I guess it also depends on where, specifically, a particular trial is taking place.
Also, I found out that my dad was one of the kids in the original Salk polio vaccine trial when he sent me the link to sign up, which was pretty cool. He wants to do it again, but he and my mom basically never have close contact with anybody these days, so I can’t imagine they’ll call him.
Thanks for starting this thread! I had looked for opportunities to sign up a while ago and found nothing in my area, but this has inspired me to check again. It looks like there might be something I can do within an easy drive of my home. I have a moderate exposure level, so maybe I’ll get picked.
If you are willing to disclose it: how much are they paying volunteers for such (not without potential risk) medical experiments?
That is cool. It would be cool if you got picked, too. Interesting family tradition/legacy.
Shoot, I got turned down because of the biologic I inject. I hope good intentions give me points toward being a human being.
I signed up on a Northwestern U. registry for future trials for vaccines and possible other interventions. I am high risk for crappy lungs, but don’t have a job or other circumstances that require public contact, so have been pretty thoroughly isolated. I’m not sure where that puts me on the list, but nobody has contacted me yet.
I’m not sure how I would feel about actually participating - it probably depends on the specifics of whatever trial they might contact me about.
I would love to volunteer, but I have a minor child. If I didn’t, I would sign up in a heartbeat.
I’m not really worried about dying-- I’m more concerned about something like temporary nerve damage in the arm that got the shot, that might keep me from being able to drive him around. I know things like that are really, really rare. I just think as long as he is a minor, I’m not making decisions just for myself.
I might sign up for a larger, secondary trial if a first one pans out, though.
If a vaccine is ever approved, you can bet I will be getting it as soon as I am allowed.
So my fella was accepted, and we were surprised since he has COPD. But they want 2 kinds of volunteers - ones who are in “essential” jobs, meaning they are around a lot of people, and also people with comorbidities, which is him. They ran him through intense screening, gave him a COVID test and a vaccine and now we wait. Of course we have no idea if he had the placebo or the vaccine. They sent him home with a thermometer, a pulse oximeter, an on-line diary to fill out and another home Covid test. And a check for $180.
I got a reply by email with a lot of qualifying questions. At the end it said they are passing along my contact details to a local researcher and to expect to be contacted soon.
Welp, I got deferred due to having donated blood within the last 28 days. I can try again when the 28 days is up; if they’re still enrolling volunteers, presumably they’ll take me.
I’m in! Got my first shot today of either saline or the Moderna vaccine. They drew a bunch of blood for testing, swabbed my nose to make sure I don’t have it already, and had me pee in a cup to make sure I’m not pregnant. I downloaded an app to regularly record my temperature and any symptoms. I spent two and a half hours there and got $150 in cash and a COVE Study branded tote bag and pop socket for my trouble. I’ll be coming back in a month for the second shot. They’re just about finished enrolling participants, so I just made it.
Both the nasal swab and the shot burned, but I feel fine now. Actually I feel great. The pandemic has made me feel anxious, helpless, and angry; being part of the solution is making me feel a little more hopeful, a little more in control. Plus it’ll be really cool if it turns out I got the vaccine and it works. I’ll find out when the study is over, likely in December.
My wife and I have both signed up some weeks ago but haven’t heard anything yet. Though the numbers are going up again in the UK we are in a low exposure area and I’m not sure how helpful we’d be.
Still, good to feel a little useful. I work in pharmaceuticals so I’m well aware of what is needed and what is involved and for sure many trials struggle for want of a suitable representative cohort.
I have no idea about compensation, never really thought about it but it is the NHS so I’m sure it won’t be much, it isn’t flush with cash.
One thing that the UK does have in its favour though is the coherent database of patients and treatments available to researchers through the NHS very few other countries have anything similar of that size. It has proved massively helpful in the search for treatments via such as the “recovery” trial. Hopefully more is to come, not just a prophylactic vaccine.
I had a text message today saying call to schedule your appointment to participate in the trial! And before I could call I got an email saying they are already full at the local trial location!
Bummed to not get in but glad they are not having any trouble recruiting.
I have volunteered, but will they take me? My age and the fact I work with children may be factors. They may want to test with younger people first.
Got my second shot today. The first time I had some soreness in my arm that developed several hours later; this time the soreness came on sooner, but otherwise I feel fine. The soreness is very similar to when I get a flu shot, maybe a little worse. At first I thought that might be a good sign I got the real thing, but I did some Googling and it turns out a saline injection can do that too. So I guess I do have to wait to find out.
I got a letter inviting me to join a vaccine trial, but I’m not going to do it. Once there is an approved vaccine that has been proven to be safe and effective, I’ll take it. I’m just too leery about it all. But I thank all of you who are volunteering!