'Really excited:' UW doctor volunteers to be Patient 1; university among 1st test sites for COVID-19 vaccine
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsinites have the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial for a possible coronavirus vaccine. The University of Wisconsin has been selected as one of the first test sites in the country.
The first person was injected with the vaccine Wednesday, Sept. 2 at UW Hospital.
The study led by UW Health and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health involves100 sites testing a total of 30,000 people.
Dr. William Hartman
"This is a historical trial, really," said Dr. William Hartman, an anesthesiologist with UW School of Medicine and Public Health, heading the eight-week clinical trial at UW Hospital to test a possible vaccine. "UW is ideal, and we're set up to do this, and to it well, and to do it quickly."
The vaccine, which was originally developed at the University of Oxford in England in partnership with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is now in Phase 3, meaning it's already been tested on smaller populations.
"We want to see, can we have both the safety, the intended consequence and the efficacy, so we want to know, is this effective in a large population?" said Dr. Hartman.
Researchers will need to recruit 1,600 people from across the state -- hoping to attract a diverse sample.
Dr. Jeff Pothof
Dr. Jeff Pothof, an emergency medicine doctor with UW Health volunteered to be "Patient 1."
"I feel really excited that I can do my part to try to get us all a little bit closer to normal," said Dr. Pothof.
Dr. Jeff Pothof receives COVID-19 vaccine (Credit: UW Health)
Pothof will be injected twice over the next month -- as researchers look to see if he develops the necessary antibodies.
"And then I'll be followed up to seven or eight times over the course of two years to really understand, was the vaccine effective?" he said. "Did I get sick? Did I not get sick? Were there any side effects that I would report?"
Dr. Deborah Birx
The start of the study came as Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House's Coronavirus Task Force coordinator visited Wisconsin Monday, Aug. 31 to promote mask usage and social distancing as schools reopen and Americans gather for Labor Day weekend.
"The best way to protect schools is for the community together to stop the spread of the virus," said Dr. Birx.
Dr. Hartman said he anticipates a vaccine will be ready for the public by early 2021.
"We are hoping that 70-80% of people in the general population will have immunity to coronavirus by this time next year," he said.
About a third of participants will receive a placebo. The study lasts approximately two years, with participants periodically undergoing physicals and testing for the virus.
People interested in learning more about participating in the study can do so by emailing uwcovidvaccine@clinicaltrials.wisc.edu, calling the hotline at 608-262-8300 or 833-306-0681, or by visiting https://www.c19vaccinestudy.com/.