Fargo company taking part in COVID-19 vaccine trials, looking for volunteers

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Fargo is joining in on the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 160 vaccines are in development around the world but only a handful are in phase three ready for large-scale testing.

In Fargo, Lillestol Research is participating in one of those trials, and they are looking for a few hundred volunteers in the next eight weeks to take part in the COVID-19 vaccine trial.

“We are coming in at phase three which is the phase just before when a drug or a vaccine can get approved from the FDA,” Jamie Brown, PA-C and Director of Operations, said.

Roughly 30,000 patients across the country will be asked to take part in the large-scale trial.

“Before anything can come to market, before we can actually have an effective vaccine for this, we have to make sure that we can go through these large-scale trials to determine if they are safe and effective,” Brown said. “We all know COVID has impacted everyone’s life in some way, and if this is the key to getting back to normal, we definitely want to be a part of that.”

If you are ready to roll up your sleeve, you have to be between the ages of 18 and 85. You can have underlying conditions, but can not be pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Also, you can not have tested positive for COVID-19 previously.

“There’s a lot of misconceptions about out there about are they safe, are they effective, can you get the disease from the vaccine,” Brown said. “The answer to that question is no you can not get COVID-19 from getting the vaccine. Basically what we are trying to determine, is the vaccine safe, and is it effective.”

The trial is going to take some time. Two years with a total of six in-office visits, patients receive two injections about a month apart and they are monitored to see if they contract the virus through the community.

Brown says this is a chance for people to make a difference during the pandemic.

You are paid for your time in the trial.

If you would like to get involved, you can go to Lillestol’s website or call 701-232-7705.

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