I've been accepted on the COVID-19 Vaccine Trial

[roses2]

I've been offered a place on the COVID-19 trial being run by Imperial College.

I'm a little nervous and still debating whether or not to accept. I'm female, BAME and I have two children.

Help me make a decision! What should I do?

[FizzyPink]

For anyone interested I’ve just looked up applying to the London based trial and they pay £235 if you participate in the study until the end. You also have to live in North-West, West or South-West London

[Lily193]

I've just read too many drugs trials reports (I'm a science writer; DP is a research scientist) to trust that anyone taking part in a trial will be safe.

The word 'safe' should never be used in relation to any drug or vaccine as all are associated with side effects of one kind or another. The purpose of conducting a clinical trial is to better understand the associated risk and benefits. All study participants understand this when providing informed consent to participate in the trial.

[Cary2012]

I have no idea whether you should do it OP, surely the experts leading the trial will give you all the information, the pros and cons, and answer your questions? They're the experts, not us.

[HedgehogHotel]

I wouldn't, as my DH is older than me and more at risk, and we have 3 school aged children I am trying to stay healthy for.

[redbushtea]

Don't do it.

[Weallhavevalidopinions]

Well done for volunteering.

Go for it.

[Proppedupinbed]

I know someone has to do it. I wouldn't - not with kids. I also think that it may have been rushed through basic trials. I have friends in the pharmaceutical industry and medicinal-chemistry research. I personally would consult them before asking mn. (If you aren't in that position, definitely don't do it.)

This is a very serious decision. Don't do it out of patriotism or well-meaningness. At the very least, do it for shit loads of money in exchange for knowing that your health could be damaged in the future, albeit a very low risk. Look up the side effects of the SARS vaccine, which was approved as being safe.

www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/history/narcolepsy-flu.html
www.buzzfeed.com/shaunlintern/these-nhs-staff-were-told-the-swine-flu-vaccine-was-safe

From the buzzfeed article: "Normally vaccines undergo testing to make sure they are safe, and vaccination has been proven to save millions of lives across the globe. But Pandemrix was different. It had not gone through the normal process and was fast-tracked without the usual clinical trials.

Staff were also not told that the government had agreed a unique deal with GSK to indemnify the company for any problems with the vaccine.

The investigation also turns the spotlight on decisions by the UK government to continue using the vaccine even after other European countries suspended its use once evidence of a problem emerged."

[HPFA]

I presume all the people saying "don't do it because it's not 100% safe" are not the same people saying "I wouldn't use any drug unless I knew it was 100% safe."

Do they really want to live in a world where we don't have medicines? Because that's the end result if we don't do trials.

Bill Gates must wonder why he didn't put his money into breeding racehorses or funding politicians who think the rich shouldn't pay any taxes. Much better than trying to find medicines which will help the world.

[MollyButton]

I think it's great if you do it. We need more trails including both women and those from BAME backgrounds.

If you feel you want to back out though, don't be pressurised - go with your heart/gut.
And if you have questions there should be someone available to answer them - don't feel afraid to ask.

[FizzyGreenWater]

What's changed for you since you volunteered, perfect example of complex candidate?

[rosiepony]

Drugs make way more money than horses, you fool.

And all those egging on the OP to do it are pimping her out for their own gain.

[Mikki2019]

Wouldn’t do it as a partner . I would if no kids or dependents

[MrsTerryPratchett]

I presume all the people saying "don't do it because it's not 100% safe" are not the same people saying "I wouldn't use any drug unless I knew it was 100% safe."

And they are all people who don't understand drugs. Anything with an effect will have side effects. That's why idiots love homeopathy, because it has no effect, it has no side effects. Other than making you insufferable but I think that's correlation, not causation.

[Lily193]

And all those egging on the OP to do it are pimping her out for their own gain

Or maybe they are speaking as someone who has participated in early phase clinical trials as a healthy volunteer - that is for no personal gain whatsoever.

[foxychox]

I started to watch that YouTube video - good god, paranoid much? And completely unaware of how the scientific community works? I had to laugh about Boris "disappearing" - is there some kind of conspiracy about that now?
Well done OP if you decide to go ahead, and if you don't that's fine too

[neveradullmoment99]

No, simply because you have children.

[DianneWhatcock]

Good for you OP and thank you.

[October2020]

People without children are not of lesser value!!!!!

They are still wives and sisters and friends and colleagues and people with WORTH. There would still be devastated people if the trial went wrong.

For goodness sake 'no because you have children' is such a ridiculous response. What if she was a teacher, someone's only child, someone's only sibling, someone's best friend, the person who is going to cure cancer or find life in space?

We need to trial the vaccines. We need people to trial them. Thank you, OP, for considering such a giving and wonderful act of service.

[MrsTerryPratchett]

People without children are not of lesser value!!!!!

It's not about worth, it's about having dependents.

[grumpyfuckerr]

If no one participated in vaccine trials, we wouldn’t have any vaccines. And the world would be rampant with measles, polio, diphtheria, small pox etc....

I would do it in a heartbeat OP.

Can we please also stop the notion that people without children are worth less than people with children? 🤦‍♀️

[TakeMe2Insanity]

Wow that’s incredibly selfless. Thank you.

Please get your paperwork in order or even a letter to your children explaining why just in case.