By Zachary Spiecker/Cronkite News
PHOENIX – A research center in east Tucson is one of the 87 clinics in the country chosen to participate in phase 3 of a COVID-19 vaccine trial, the Arizona Daily Star reported. The Quality of Life Medical and Research Center is actively recruiting Arizona volunteers to participate in the trial and national study, it said.
“I’m very honored that they selected us for this particular study,” Dr. John McGettigan, owner and founder of the center, told the newspaper. “It’s probably the most important research study that I’ll be involved in in my career.”
Results from phase 1 vaccine trials, which were positive, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 14. The initial vaccine, mRNA-1273, “induced anti–SARS-CoV-2 immune responses in all participants and no trial-limiting safety concerns were identified,” according to the summary. The vaccine was able to direct itself to a portion of the coronavirus that binds to other cells.
In phase 3 trials, volunteers will receive two doses of the vaccine 29 days apart. A control group will receive a placebo.
Researchers will study the groups for up to two years, including checks for novel coronavirus antibodies and monitoring any negative reactions to the vaccine.
McGettigan told the Star he thinks the vaccine will be deemed effective a lot sooner than most people think, and it has already been fast-tracked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. His team has already started to receive inquiries from those who want to participate in the trial, including some of his own patients, the Star reported.
A major focus of the phase 3 trials will be to involve health care workers and those who are at risk in the early stages of the vaccine trials, which are underway. To participate, email covid19@qlmc.com.
Insurer won’t provide schools with COVID-19 liability coverage
The Arizona School Risk Prevention Trust will not be providing COVID-19 coverage to the nearly 250 school districts and community colleges they typically insure, KTAR reported. This has left school districts worried about the cost of any potential lawsuits stemming from the spread of illness or deaths due to the current pandemic. The trust does not provide liability coverage for cases related to an organic pathogen, such as COVID-19, and will provide waivers for parents to sign.
Treasury secretary pledges new GOP coronavirus relief package
Steve Mnuchin, secretary of the treasury, said Sunday morning that a coronavirus relief bill would be released Monday, The Arizona Republic reported. As of this publishing, however, there has been no announcement or release of a bill.
Doctors support continued closures of bars, restaurants
Will Humble, former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, told FOX 10 News the closure of bars and nightclubs has made a drastic impact on COVID-19 numbers in Arizona, and fewer cases. He added that nightclubs were given a chance to reopen safely and chose not to. He says “they lost their privilege.”
Bar owners sue, say Ducey’s closure order is unconstitutional
Fifty bar owners claim that Gov. Doug Ducey’s shutdown order is unconstitutional, Cronkite News reported. The lawsuit, filed in Arizona Supreme Court, comes from 50 owners of 44 Arizona bars in multiple cities, including Chandler, Mesa, Phoenix, and Tucson. The attorney representing the owners, Ilan Wurman, says the order is inconsistently applied and denies bar owners due process.
