COVID-19 vaccine trial kicks off in Florida, with volunteers getting up to $1,000
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Another major clinical trial is underway in the global race for a COVID-19 vaccine — with researchers this time planning to pay participants hundreds of dollars in Palm Beach County.
The experimental vaccine, called AZD1222, was developed by AstraZeneca in conjunction with the University of Oxford. The drug arrived Monday morning to the campus of the JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, and the first 10 patients for the study will start the process Tuesday morning. The vaccine is one of just five that are in the crucial stage of Phase 3 testing, according to Dr. Larry Bush, lead immunologist on the trial.
The study, conducted by JEM Research Institute, is the latest in a number of trials underway across South Florida.
Moderna, which is conducting the largest U.S. trial, drew attention last month when Vice President Mike Pence arrived at the University of Miami to kick off that first large-scale clinical trial of a potential vaccine. Moderna has four South Florida sites recruiting participants — two in Miami-Dade, one in Broward and one in Palm Beach.
