More than 16,000 people have expressed interest in being exposed to the coronavirus to speed up vaccine development, according to a group made up of scientists and researchers recruiting volunteers for a potential human trial.
The group, 1 Day Sooner, is recruiting volunteers aged 20-45 with no underlying health conditions. A human trial is not yet planned.
"We want to recruit as many people as possible who want to do this, and pre-qualify them as likely to be able to participate in challenge trials should they occur," co-founder Josh Morrison told Nature in late April.
"At the same time, we feel that the public policy decisions around challenge trials will be better informed if they highlight the voice of people interested in participating in such trials."
The group is not affiliated with groups or companies developing or funding the coronavirus vaccine. Morrison, who is also the executive director of organ-donation advocacy group Waitlist Zero, said he hopes to show broad support for human-challenge trials.
The coronavirus has killed more than 300,000 people worldwide and has infected around 4.5 million. In the U.S., more than 85,000 people have died and 1.4 million have been infected.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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