Dangers of Volunteering for COVID vaccine trial!

Fair points, M0nica.

MrsCinders sounds very anxious but perhaps understandably so.

Callistemon Volunteering for the Oxford vaccine required only 3 short visits, 1 for assessment, 2 for the jabs. All took place in a separate building on a hospital site where contact with other people was minimal and hospital levels of protection were used. After that, each week DH had to take a swab at home, fill in a form and post it back.

I do not think that the risk to a shielded person is very high. under those circumstances and he would be helping to free the shielded person, plus there is a 50:50 chance he would be becoming COVID protected himself.

I think you're missing the point I was making M0nica
(Not like you )

Most of us would risk the vaccine rather than the risk of catching covid but volunteering to test the vaccine, when you are living with someone who is shielding, is not a good idea imo simply because it means going out more, mixing with the community more, with all the risks that entails. I can understand why Mrs Cinders is concerned.

Many of us will be glad to have a well tested vaccine and are grateful to the volunteers who are willing to trial it on our behalf.

I would sooner risk the vaccination than the disease.

As others have said I would think you potentially exposing yourself to covid might be the main issue, and as you might get the placebo or the vaccine might not work that would put your wife at extra risk, if you are shielding with your wife to protect her then your participation in the trial won't be much use.

We do know all that, Monica.

Where has anyone said that they believe the vaccine is live and that someone else can catch it from someone who has had the vaccine?

Going out and about freely, including taking part in trials, means coming into contact with people who may have the virus and enhances the risk of passing it on to a partner who is shielding because they are clinically vulnerable.

It is an added risk for Mrs Cinders and one which is not necessary as there are many people willing to volunteer, thank goodness.

Never mind, give her a cup of tea or coffee, even some nice biscuits and explain to her she must think of the greater good even if she has been told to shield and stay away from everyone and that anyone she lives with has to be extra cautious.

No live virus is used in any of the trials. It is impossible for anyone to get COVID by testing the vaccine or for anyone else to catch a disease from someone who has not had it themselves.

If Mr Cinders takes part in a vaccine trial, he cannot give the virus or anything else to his wife, because none of the trials uses live virus. his wife is far far more likely to be seriously ill because she has caught the virus itself than supposing she has picked up anything from her DH because he has taken part in a trial.

the sooner the vaccine is over and administered the sooner we can return to normal life.

Callistemon

^he remains as fit and healthy as ever - and he has had two jabs in the last 3 months vaccine trials^

That is good news. However, Mrs Cinders is not fit and healthy she is clinically vulnerable and shielding. If Cindersdad shields with her, as advised by the CMO, his participation in the trial will be of no use anyway.

Agree, total waste.
Although want to thank anyone who wants to help the fight, suitable or not.

Hondaboy

Have you got money invested in the other vaccine companies but not AstraZeneca?

Well, I'm now.

I am clinically vulnerable, have had many letters, emails, phone calls etc. telling me to be careful but I was invited to travel to Liverpool to take part in trials! The letter came from our GP's surgery.

he remains as fit and healthy as ever - and he has had two jabs in the last 3 months vaccine trials

That is good news. However, Mrs Cinders is not fit and healthy she is clinically vulnerable and shielding. If Cindersdad shields with her, as advised by the CMO, his participation in the trial will be of no use anyway.

NotTooOld

I am aware that it is not possible to get Covid from the vaccine but Cindersdad would presumably be mixing with other people who may already be infected, either at the trial venue or travelling to the trial venue. Mrs Cindersdad has a point.

I agree.
Those who live with someone who is shielding on advice from the CMO also have to be extremely careful.

Besides which, if Cindersdad was also shielding because of this, then there would be no point in taking part in the trial.

I do admire those who have and are taking part.
However, I am surprised that anyone who has a partner who is clinically vulnerable was chosen for the trial.

I can see both sides.

This would be a decision to be made as a couple

Barry Norris Unimpressed by AstraZeneca Announcement

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/23/oxford-vaccine-works-half-dose-regime-surprised-scientists/

I quote The Fund Manager Barry Norris, who’s been tracking the vaccine trials very closely informing his clients:-

Based on this data, the FDA is unlikely to approve the Astra vaccine (though undoubtedly the UK Government will) as:

* The trial protocol has been violated to data mine a more positive outcome.

* The duration of the efficacy is questionable.

* The overall efficacy is much lower than peers and it likely won’t work at all in the vulnerable (82 year-olds with comorbidities.) The US has mRNA.

* There’s no claim that it prevents virus transmission.

* They will want to monitor possible auto-immune side effects.

The risks within the Phase 3 trials is so low as to be completely lost within the all the other risks we face constantly, even doing something as unchallenging as getting out of bed.

Were it not for those taking part in these Phase 3 trials enabling the safety of the vaccine to be confirmed, how many more people would be condemned to death, disability or a long period of ill health from the disease. I know which risk I would choose to take.

M0nica, Synexus is carrying out both phase 2 and phase 3 trials currently and the OP doesn't say which one he has volunteered for.

Secondly, it is very different to ordinary risks we take - in that this is an additional risk where the odds are in your favour but the risk is on top of risks you normally need to take to function. If the worst happened then that does have an impact on nearest and dearest.

I'm not hostile to people volunteering for the trials, quite the contrary, but unlike you, I would like to talk about it with my husband first.

your bad what ?

Oops, sorry my bad

Notspaghetti, DH mentioned in passing that he had volunteered for the vaccine trials, I had too, quite separately. We both made our decisions quite independemtly and felt no need to discuss it. These are phase 3 trials and by the time these trials take place, it has already been through 2 phases of human testing on young fit people to test for side effects etc and the reason that the trials are then rolled out to large cross section of the population in several countries, is because these are the last full scale trials before the challenge trials when they test whether the vaccine works when someone is exposed to the virus.

You say It's quite diferent to the ordinary risks we take in life, crossing roads, changing lightbulbs etc., actually it isn't, you are probably in greater danger doing all the things you mention compared with being a volunteer in the Phase 3 trials.

Hello Cindersdad,
I do understand your desire to help but don't understand why you didn't discuss this with your wife before you put yourself forward. Obviously if you were to suffer side-effects it won't necessarily only affect you.

I'm sure I'd never commit to be part of a trial without discussing it with my husband and would expect him to discuss his potential involvement in one with me if he was thinking about signing up.

If by some dreadful misfortune one of us was to suffer ongoing ill health because of involvement in a trial, I'd want to believe we made that kind of choice together. It's quite diferent to the ordinary risks we take in life, crossing roads, changing lightbulbs etc. I'd want to feel we were both on board with it.

I would be very upset if my husband sprang this on me. I'd be happy to discuss it if it didn't feel like a "done deal".

To me, the added worry for your wife is that you are her support as you say you are fit and she is shielding. What would happen to your wife if you were one of the (rare) people who were seriously incapacitated by this?

Thank you for your replies. It is a vaccine trial though I don't know which vaccine it is; the trial is to check the vaccine for any side effects. I would not consider a trial which involved being infected to see if the vaccine worked. We both have the flu vaccine and have never suffered any consequences. Due to my wife's fears rational or not I have reluctantly cancelled my involvement. We shall both get the Covid vaccine if and when it becomes available.

When shielding was relaxed she went out and had a fall giving her a badly broken arm so she needs to visit clinics for physio. Both of us visit the eye clinic as needed. I thought that anything which could boost my or her immunity would be welcomed , but no and it resulted in the most awful row. We live in a Tier-3 area but that in practice is not that different from Tier-2 or even Tier-1. The clinics are part of the hospital which treats Covid patients thuogh precautions are paramount. The Synexus clinic is very close to our home and not near the hospital.

Thank you for the explanation NotTooOld.

I am aware that it is not possible to get Covid from the vaccine but Cindersdad would presumably be mixing with other people who may already be infected, either at the trial venue or travelling to the trial venue. Mrs Cindersdad has a point.

Just wanted to say thanks Cindersdad for volunteering and to all those who volunteer for these things