UIHC vaccine trials could lead to another COVID-19 vaccine option – kwwl.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KWWL) - The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics have been studying COVID-19 vaccines since the very beginning. Iowans have stepped up and joined clinical trials for just as long, assisting in the research leading up to vaccine approval.

Iowans participated in the Pfizer vaccine trials before it received emergency use authorization, and now full FDA approval. Another vaccine option could be on the horizon, as a UIHC doctor says the world needs to keep studying the shots as the pandemic evolves.

I dont think we have a full understanding of the capability of the vaccines we have now," Executive Dean of the Carver College of Medicine Dr. Patricia Winokur said.

More than 400 Iowans have stepped up to be a part of the multiple vaccine trials since the start of the pandemic. If you take into consideration all of the other types of trials held for other COVID-19 research, the number of Iowans would go up to around 800.

I feel comfortable with my participation in the trial," Marion resident and vaccine trial participant Dawn Goodlove said.

Goodlove was one of 150 to take part in the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine trial that began in January 2020. It would be another vaccine option that expects to receive emergency use authorization in the upcoming months.

I thought this might be a way for me to contribute to a solution. A vaccine to try to end this pandemic," Goodlove said.

An additional vaccine can help open up the opportunity for those who might be allergic to ingredients in the current ones available. The Novavax shot is made differently than the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

And then remember, we still have the rest of the world that needs to be vaccinated," Dr. Winokur said.

The UIHC doctor sharing the Novavax vaccine can be a vaccine that is easily accessible to other countries that might not have the greatest technology. The shots don't need to be stored in as cold of freezers as the ones currently authorized do. This vaccine would also be easier for more providers to offer to patients because of the easier storage option.

Dr. Winokur says many pharmaceutical companies have stalled or completely stopped their production and trial processes due to the lack of qualified participants. Many who wanted the vaccine have already received it, and a participant would need to be unvaccinated in order to qualify. Dr. Winokur believes everyone who is currently unvaccinated would most likely pass on the opportunity.

"I think the Novavax trial everyone has been fully vaccinated and we continue to follow them for the efficacy of the vaccine," Dr. Winokur said.

The Novavax company is expected to release its trial data to the FDA within the next couple of months in order to be approved for emergency use authorization.

As a participant in the UIHC study, Dawn Goodlove says she is confident in the Novavax vaccine. She says she has come into contact with multiple people who were positive with COVID-19 and has not contracted the virus herself after beginning the trial.

Its a pretty easy way to show how much you care about your community whether its just your family and friends or a broader worldwide community," Goodlove said.

UIHC is also currently making its way through a clinical trial to study the efficacy of the Pfizer booster shots. Those involved with the two vaccine trials agreed to log their symptoms and be monitored for two years.

If you would like to take a look at any of the clinical trials available to take part in, you can find them on the UIHC website.

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UIHC vaccine trials could lead to another COVID-19 vaccine option - kwwl.com