The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking for minority veterans to participate in clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine, Stars and Stripes reported Friday.
Several VA hospitals announced this week they were selected to run trials for a vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, part of Johnson & Johnson.
In total, 20 VA locations are recruiting volunteers for investigatory vaccine trials — and 17 of them are part of the Johnson & Johnson trial.
The VA hospitals include facilities in Chicago, Baltimore, The Bronx, N.Y., and Durham, N.C., the military news site reported.
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one of 11 in Phase 3 trials, and the only one that involves a single inoculation; other prospective vaccines require multiple doses, Stars and Stripes reported.
"The reason we're asking minority veterans to enroll is because the COVID-19 pandemic has affected members of these communities at much higher rates than the rest of the population," the department said in a statement.
"The more participants from these communities in the study, the better researchers will understand if the investigational vaccine is truly safe and effective for the people who need it most."
The VA is participating in the trials through Operation Warp Speed – a public-private partnership that aims to accelerate the development of a vaccine and deliver 300 million doses by January 2021.
In addition to the 17 sites running the Johnson & Johnson trials, three other VA locations will be testing Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer vaccines.
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