Health & Wellness: COVID-19 Vaccine

COVID-19 Vaccine Health & Wellness: Two Local Residents Volunteer for Testing

BY JACk kIrVEN | QNOTES CONTrIBuTOr

After only nine months COVID-19, review and there are already mul- signing of consent forms, tiple potentially-viable vac- weight, height, body cines available around the mass calculations, blood world to inoculate people drawing, and finally, my against the novel corona- one and only injection. virus. Some have been fast After the injection, tracked by the Food and I was monitored for 30 Drug Administration for minutes for reactions. usage in the United States, The process took four with 100,000,000 doses hours. I have had two being shipped to all the follow ups, both included states across the nation. signing updated consent The logistics of distribution forms and my blood samare complex, and various ples being drawn. Twice jurisdictions are still trying weekly I sign into my to formulate parameters for StudyHub app, and reply deciding who gets the shots to questions concerning first. But in the midst of all any COVID-19 symptoms. this, there are people expressing concern about the speed with which the medicine was invented, and who Clinical trial volunteers have helped make the fast-track to the introduction of vaccines to combat COVID-19 a reality. (Photo Credit: Lubo Ivanko via Adobe Stock) Thank goodness, I have not had symptoms. PC: The study requires in-person medical ofare saying they won’t take it fice visits, five-minute even once it is available. how the vaccines were tested, this author telephone check-ups This raises the question: How do reached out to two local residents who and entering data via a phone application. people who have already been through participated in the trials. Study requires the completion of a total the trials feel when they hear that people One volunteer, Paola Corcoran, is a of seven scheduled in-person visits, and still want to wait until others have taken CIS-female upper-level executive for a about 24 safety telephone calls over apit? Have these volunteers not already large financial services company. The oth- proximately 25 months. The first two visits been through that process on behalf of er who replied, Daniel Sams, is a CIS-male were four weeks apart (mid-September the wider public? To understand better small business owner who is very active 2020 and mid-October) for first shot and in the LGBTQ community. Even with their second shot. The in-person visits after the relatively divergent backgrounds, their first two visits are months apart. experiences were largely similar, and this will hopefully address concerns people JK: Once you had the injections, did you may have about race, class and gender in notice any responses in your body? If terms of how the vaccine trials worked. yes, what were they? Jack Kirven: How did you come to par- nor did I feel any side effects. I strongly ticipate in the vaccine trials? How did believe I received the placebo. you hear about them? PC: For me there were no side effects Daniel Sams: I responded to an advertise- noted. ment for participants on Facebook, about had my first meeting at Wake Research in Raleigh, N.C. They conducted my intake DS: I had no response to the injection site, five months ago. A recruiter from Wake JK: Have you ever learned whether you Research contacted me in September got the vaccine or a placebo? If they 2020. don’t tell you, how do you know whethPaola Corcoran: I read an article in The er you should get more injections? New York Times that discussed how candi- DS: That’s a very good question. The dates were being recruited for the vaccine Johnson & Johnson Phase 3 ENSEMBLE trials. The article contained a link to the Trial of its Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine “COVID-19 Prevention Network” (corona- Candidate is a single shot, unlike the other viruspreventionnetwork.com). I went to candidates. the aforementioned link and took a survey My motivation for participating was under the website’s “CoVPN Volunteer in hopes of getting vaccinated as soon Screening Registry.” After a month and a as possible. I work at Legends Nightclub half, I got a call from a company (Javara Complex in Raleigh, N.C. As owner of the Research) that was carrying out the study BOXER AND BRIEF gear store within the for Moderna, and they explained the pro- club, I’m in constant contact with people, cess and what the study entailed, at which and wanted to set an example by joining point I agreed to participate. this study. Five days after the injection, I had a JK: There are multiple companies devel- COVID-19 antibody test through LabCorp. oping vaccines — which one did you do? The results were negative for COVID-19 anDS: Johnson & Johnson Phase 3 ENSEMBLE tibodies. I learned afterward that five days Trial of its Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine does not allow enough time for antibodies Candidate in the U.S. to build. I had a second COVID-19 antibody PC: Moderna — mRNA-1273 vaccine. test over a month later. Those results were JK: When did you do the session? Was believe I received the placebo. there only one? If there were follow PC: No, not yet. We were informed that ups, how often did they happen, and once the Moderna vaccine is available for what were they for? general use, participants can ask to be DS: At 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct 5, 2020, I unblinded to figure out if they want to be negative for COVID-19 antibodies. I strongly screening, which included a test for see Vaccine on 14 Dec. 25, 2020 - Jan. 7, 2021