LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The University of Kentucky is among twenty sites chosen nationwide to conduct trials for a Johnson and Johnson booster shot.
The Phase Two trial looks to discover the efficacy of giving the J&J vaccine as a booster shot and what side effects, if any, may arise from that.
“There is no evidence that suggests the vaccines are not doing what they were intended to do, which is keep people out of the hospital,” said lead investigator Dr. Richard Greenberg. “But we need to stop the transmission and we need to stop the mutations. Perhaps a booster study like this will give us some answers that will be critical for the future.”
Trial participants will be given a randomized dose of the J&J vaccine. No placebos will be used in the study.
Dr. George Edgar Hoover with UK’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science said they are looking to find out what concentration level of the vaccine might enhance protection against the coronavirus.
“We don't know if boosters are going to be recommended. That's why we're studying. That's why we are a research center. We are strongly recommending everybody to get vaccinated because that's what's going to stop the spread. That'll keep people out of the hospital. That'll bring us back to our normalcy,” Dr. Hoover said.
660 applicants will be selected to participate in the study nationwide.
UK is only accepting participants who received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago.
The trial will also include participants who have received the J&J vaccine, but those will be pulled from previous UK trials to ensure they also fall inside the six-month period.
Participants will not be accepted if they have a history of contracting COVID-19 or if they have a compromised immune system.
You can enroll for the trial by visiting here.
