West Metro Firefighters In Moderna Vaccine Trial Anxious to Get The 'Real Deal' If They Were Given The Placebo
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - More than 30,000 Americans volunteered for Stage 3 of the Moderna vaccine clinical trial. More than 200 of them are in Colorado.
Half got the vaccine and half a placebo, a saline solution. The biotechnology company has proposed unblinding the study, telling participants which shot they got and offering to vaccinate those in the placebo group.
Four West Metro firefighters at Station 2 are especially interested in what's next. They are enrolled in the clinical trial.
Lt. Aaron Johnson said volunteering was an easy decision.
"Because we thought the benefit was going to protect us and our families," Johnson told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
Fire crews have dealt with potential Covid cases since the start of the pandemic.
"We're walking into an unknown situation all the time," said Johnson.
"So we'd have a good chance of testing the efficacy of the vaccine," said Lt. Mike Binney.
In the study, they had just a 50/50 chance of getting the vaccine, but Binney was on board.
"I thought this was incredibly important as our role in the large public health world," Binney said.
With the rollout of the Moderna vaccine, the company has proposed unblinding the study and offering all participants the chance to know what shot they got and the chance to get the vaccine if they got a placebo.
"We enrolled 217 participants," said Dr. Thomas Campbell, principal investigator for the Stage 3 Moderna vaccine clinical trial at UCHealth on the CU Anschutz campus, one of 99 sites.
"We have an obligation now that we know the vaccine works to provide it to those people. That's my personal view," said Campbell.
He said Moderna has been waiting to hear from the FDA on the issue. Meantime, firefighters are in the next Colorado group, Phase 1B, to be inoculated this winter. With a toddler at home, Binney is especially anxious.
"I've watched 'Frozen' no less than a hundred times," Binney said, "I will be the first one in line to get the real deal."
Johnson and Binney suspect they got the "real deal" in the trial.
If not, the firefighters plan to take whatever vaccine is offered first. They may get some news soon.
Campbell said he will learn more about the unblinding plan on a conference call with Moderna Tuesday morning.
