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U.Va. enters NIH study examining effects of COVID-19 vaccine on virus infection, transmission
U.Va. enters NIH study examining effects of COVID-19 vaccine on virus infection, transmission
By Anika Iyer | 11 hours ago
The study will use the data collected to predict how well the vaccine can prevent asymptomatic infection and the transmission of the virus to others.
By Anika Iyer
March 31, 2021
The University has recently joined a national effort headed by the National Institutes of Health which aims to better understand infection, viral shedding and transmission of COVID-19 in individuals who have received the vaccine. The study is currently recruiting 600 University students to receive the Moderna vaccine in two different testing groups and participate in follow-up activities in the coming months. The study will use the data collected to predict how well the vaccine can prevent asymptomatic infection and the transmission of the virus to others, which is a current gap in health officials' understanding of COVID-19 vaccines.
Through the high efficacy results determined during the vaccine testing process, health officials and researchers already know that existing vaccines prevent symptomatic infections, hospitalization and deaths in nearly all vaccinated individuals. However, limited research has left officials unclear on the vaccine’s ability to alleviate asymptomatic infection and viral transmission. Smaller studies, such as those in Israel, suggest that vaccines could limit asymptomatic transmission, but a more widespread study is needed to confirm any results.
The potential for asymptomatic spread in vaccinated individuals would mean that those vaccinated could still be carriers for the virus and easily transmit it to others without knowing it. To gain a more widespread understanding of the issue, the NIH is attempting an imperative study to meticulously observe infection presence and transmissibility among college students.
The present study was created by the COVID-19 Prevention Network at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and is funded by the federal COVID-19 Response Program and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. The study aims to enroll 12,000 college students from more than 20 universities across the country — the University being one of them — and randomly select half of the study’s enrollees to take the vaccine immediately while the other half will receive it four months later. ... Eric Houpt, infectious disease and internal medicine specialist at U.Va. Health, is heading the University’s branch of the study alongside Chris Holstege, executive director of U.Va. Student Health and Wellness.
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By Anika Iyer | 11 hours ago
The study will use the data collected to predict how well the vaccine can prevent asymptomatic infection and the transmission of the virus to others.
By Anika Iyer
March 31, 2021
The University has recently joined a national effort headed by the National Institutes of Health which aims to better understand infection, viral shedding and transmission of COVID-19 in individuals who have received the vaccine. The study is currently recruiting 600 University students to receive the Moderna vaccine in two different testing groups and participate in follow-up activities in the coming months. The study will use the data collected to predict how well the vaccine can prevent asymptomatic infection and the transmission of the virus to others, which is a current gap in health officials' understanding of COVID-19 vaccines.
Through the high efficacy results determined during the vaccine testing process, health officials and researchers already know that existing vaccines prevent symptomatic infections, hospitalization and deaths in nearly all vaccinated individuals. However, limited research has left officials unclear on the vaccine’s ability to alleviate asymptomatic infection and viral transmission. Smaller studies, such as those in Israel, suggest that vaccines could limit asymptomatic transmission, but a more widespread study is needed to confirm any results.
The potential for asymptomatic spread in vaccinated individuals would mean that those vaccinated could still be carriers for the virus and easily transmit it to others without knowing it. To gain a more widespread understanding of the issue, the NIH is attempting an imperative study to meticulously observe infection presence and transmissibility among college students.
The present study was created by the COVID-19 Prevention Network at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and is funded by the federal COVID-19 Response Program and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. The study aims to enroll 12,000 college students from more than 20 universities across the country — the University being one of them — and randomly select half of the study’s enrollees to take the vaccine immediately while the other half will receive it four months later. ... Eric Houpt, infectious disease and internal medicine specialist at U.Va. Health, is heading the University’s branch of the study alongside Chris Holstege, executive director of U.Va. Student Health and Wellness.
{snip}