Florida clinic looks for COVID-19 vaccine trial volunteers

DELAND, Fla. - Accel Research Sites says they are searching for people to volunteer for a Novavax clinical trial aimed at developing a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

"COVID-19 is having a catastrophic effect on people throughout the country, disrupting and impacting lives across the world, the organization said. "Accel Research Sites has extensive experience running vaccine trials and will   join over 100 research sites to be part ofthe global search for a safe and effective vaccine to prevent COVID-19."

They said that Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine trial will take place at over 100 clinics and hospitals. 30,000 adult participants, age 18 years and older, will be enrolled. Accel Research Sites looks to specifically gather about 250 participants.

They said they need a large number of participants, especially those 65 years of age and older, those with underlying medical conditions, and those of racial and ethnic groups that have been impacted in greater numbers by the pandemic, like African Americans, Latinx, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives.

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Two out of three people participating in the clinical trial will reportedly receive two intramuscular injections of the vaccine spaced at three weeks apart. The vaccine is said to prevent COVID-19 by helping create neutralizing antibodies to fight COVID-19 infection. The other third of participants will receive injections of a placebo made of saline solution.

Accel Research Sites said that all participants will be randomly selected to receive the vaccine or placebo. They will be followed for 24 months post-vaccination to monitor their health and safety.

Visit COVIDOrlando.com to find out more about participating. 

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