As the COVID-19 vaccine approaches, the demand for diversity will increase

Chicago plays an important role in research aimed at controlling the second wave of coronaviruses that are currently hitting the country.

Despite the announcement of the first two vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer, many vaccines are needed to solve the global immune problem.

The ABC7 I-Team considered one major challenge: finding an antidote to the mistrust and suspicion surrounding vaccine research.

Bonnie Blue was one of the first to roll up her sleeves for the Modana Vaccine Test at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She said she wrestled with the decision before joining.

“Should I do this? If you’re not supposed to give me a sign, God. I didn’t have a sign, so I went at full speed. I was nervous but decided,” Blue said.

Mr Blue said some of his family members were nervous and angry and were at risk of participating in the experiment.

At the age of 68, she falls into three high-risk categories, COVID-19, based on her age, history of life-threatening asthma, and ethnicity. Those features also make her a first choice.

“This is about your existence, your parents, your grandparents, your children, your neighbors and your friends,” she said. “So you have to step up and trust, it’s difficult, because trust doesn’t help the black community very much.”

The COVID-19 vaccine trial still requires thousands of volunteers from the minority group. Dozens of people are still in progress or about to get started.

Scientists say a diverse group of participants is essential in determining whether a vaccine works.

We still need thousands of volunteers from minority groups. Its inclusion is a priority as the black and brown communities suffer a pandemic disproportionately.

Studies show that blacks and LatinX people are three times more likely to be infected and twice as likely to die than whites.

Colored races are also exposed to the virus and have a high incidence of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. All of these are risk factors for severe COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Richard Novak, Dean of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said:

The Moderna vaccine trial was discontinued nationwide in September, allowing the study to focus on more minority registrations.

Of the 30,000 registered, 11,000 participants came from the minority community, the company said.

Novak is a UIC Principal Investigator at the Moderna Trial in Chicago. He told I-Team that the extraordinary registration from the Chicago area helped with the diversity of aid that other test sites lack.

“We have been very successful in acquiring a diverse patient population. About 75% of our cohort is actually ethnic minorities and races, and the reason it was so high is so diverse. It was to balance other sites with no registered population, “said Novak. ..

The black community has historically hesitated to participate in clinical trials because of continued fraud in the healthcare system and generations of distrust.

This includes the infamous Tuskegee experiment in which a black man in Alabama lied about treating syphilis in the 1930s and 1970s.

Distrust remains to this day.

“We want to be a bridge to the black community’s interpretation of the decisions made about covid19 vaccines and treatments,” said Leon, president of the National Medical Association, the country’s oldest group of black physicians. Dr. McDougle said.

The association currently operates its own task force to address suspicions that testing may be unsafe or that vaccine testing may be inadequate.

“We will review the data and review the policy decisions,” McDougle said.

McDougle said the NMA Task Force is in talks with major pharmaceutical companies and federal health leaders.

“I’m actually registered in the COVID-19 Vaccine Trials Clinical Trials Register and I’m actually waiting for contact. I know that many clerics in Chicago in particular have volunteered to participate in vaccine clinical trials. So I was listening to the story. “”

McDougle says meetings are underway with major pharmaceutical companies and federal health leaders.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine trail is currently underway at Cook County Health in Chicago. Dr. Temitope Oidere, an infectious disease specialist, is the principal investigator.

He hopes that the long history of hospitals working with minority groups will help with recruitment and misunderstanding.

“Everyone who participates in a vaccine trial feels it’s important to be as transparent as possible about what you know, what’s happening,” he said. “The most important thing is safety. It doesn’t matter if this vaccine works or not, even if it’s not safe.”

Bonnie Blue doesn’t know if she was vaccinated or placedbo. The Moderna trial required two doses. She said she had a second dose in September and didn’t feel any difference from other vaccines. Blue will be monitored for two years, along with other test participants.

“We all have to do what is necessary for human survival, whether female or male,” Blue said.

Even if the vaccine is approved by the FDA, persuading skeptics to vaccinate is still one of many hurdles ahead.

Public health experts believe that improving diversity in ongoing trials will help gain confidence in the stranded community.

Also, according to a recent study at the JAMA Network Open, more people could be vaccinated if medical professionals rather than politicians promote vaccination.