There’s Now a Legal Trial to Deliberately Infect People with COVID-19 to Understand More About the Virus

If there’s one thing everybody’s been trying to avoid for the past two years, it’s COVID-19.

But that might change in the future, as scientists are now on the lookout for volunteers for a new medical trial.

The trial involves exposing patients to COVID-19 to see how much of the virus can trigger an infection.

Wait, What?

Hang on, that’s only Phase One of the trial.

Thereafter, the results will help them determine how many antibodies or immune T-cells one must need to prevent infection in Phase Two.

From there, better vaccines can be developed.

“If we know what level of immune response we need the vaccine to induce it will make future vaccine development much quicker and much more efficient,” Helen McShane, Professor of Vaccinology at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford and Chief Investigator on the study, mentioned.

The trial began last April, and the first phase is still ongoing.

Who Can Participate?

According to the trial website, those with excellent health and are between the age of 18 and 30 are who they’re looking for.

Additionally, participants must fulfil either of these criteria:

  • Have already had COVID-19 and are either vaccinated or unvaccinated against COVID.
  • No previous history of COVID-19 infection but have received a vaccine against COVID.

Basically, as long as you’re not someone who’s unvaccinated and hasn’t gotten COVID-19 yet, you’re eligible.

The quarantine will last for 17 days, and participants will go through a series of medical tests such as CT scans and MRIs during this period of time.

The study also clarified that “any participants who develop any symptoms will be given medical treatment with the Regeneron monoclonal antibody treatment (known as Ronapreve).”

“Participants will only be discharged from the quarantine unit when they are no longer infected and not at risk of infecting others. The full length of the study will be 12 months, including a minimum of five follow-up appointments after discharge,” the website stated.

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But for now, the trial hasn’t come to Singapore, so don’t go around contracting COVID-19 on purpose, okay?

For more information about the trial, click here.

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Featured Image: Myriam B / Shutterstock.com