Alcanza Clinical Research

When COVID-19 struck the world with it’s first case, the medical field hit the ground running to find a solution to keep people safe and healthy.

Accel Research Sites was a part of this battle — recruiting patients, developing vaccines and continuing to create a solution. With a continuously changing world, Accel Research Sites adapted and are continuing to develop vaccines for all ages in hopes of achieving herd immunity across the country and world.

With more and more vaccines being approved each day, you might ask why are we still testing vaccines or why are there so many to choose from? Although our masks may not be a required for vaccinated individuals and the country is starting to reopen, the fight against COVID-19 is only beginning.

COVID-19 is a global pandemic. While the doors to the US may be open to outside countries, other people do not have this luxury. The United States has vaccines readily accessible for individuals who meet qualifications while other countries have yet to start vaccinating their citizens. As traveling becomes more accessible to Americans this summer, it is essential to keep this in mind while making travel plans.

Lower income countries are struggling to obtain vaccines causing a huge gap in total COVID-19 vaccinations. According to the New York Times, 85 percent of COVID-19 shots worldwide have been administered in high- and upper-middle-income countries. While only 0.3 percent of doses have been administered in low-income countries. In the eyes of Americans, it may seem like we see the finish line, but in reality, we are reaching the halfway marker.

Mutations & Strands. By definition, a virus invades living cells and uses their chemical machinery to keep itself alive and to replicate itself. COVID-19 like other viruses can adapt mutations and acclimate to its host making it hard to isolate and control. New COVID-19 variants are appearing daily, across the globe. This means booster shots will be needed to aid COVID-19 variants and continue to support your immune system. Studies on current vaccines will continue for six years. This will give time for researchers to take into account new strands that appear and dictate the need for boosters year by year.

The CDC approved vaccines for emergency use. Although the news is showered with headlines about approved vaccines, a pharmaceutical company has yet to get their shots completely across the finish line. What used to take 10 years to develop has now only taken 1 because of the global effort put into the vaccine clinical trials. Because of the demand for a controlled population, COVID-19 vaccines like Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson were all administered approval for emergency use. The FDA still must provide final approval of vaccines after continued research and diagnostics.

For the first time in our nation’s history, vaccines are being widely distributed to the population without FDA approval. Because of this, the need for continued research and clinical trials are essential. Accel Research Sites is continuing to test participants involved in the emergency approved vaccines but are also working to continue recruiting participants for more COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. The more COVID-19 vaccines out in the market, the higher chance of herd immunity with readily available vaccines for everyone.

The US is reaching a threshold for volunteers. Nearly half of the United States population is vaccinated. This gives testing COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials a new challenge. With so many vaccinated individuals, pharmaceutical companies are still looking for volunteers for new and upcoming trials. As a country, we are reaching a threshold for volunteers and the unwilling population is still at large. This virus is not going anywhere. Accel Research Sites is currently recruiting for a number of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials to continue to fight and research on COVID-19. The only way to provide answers to the wide population is by continuing to research, report results and adjust strategies to ensure we are safely administering vaccines in hopes of reaching herd immunity.

If you or someone you know are interested in volunteering for a clinical trial, Accel Research Sites is currently enrolling patients across the Southeast for COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.