Inside the J&J coronavirus vaccine study: New Orleans reporter details ‘guinea pig’ experience | Coronavirus

Two days after Hurricane Zeta hit New Orleans, I scanned the dark corridors of a private medical research laboratory in Metairie for an appointment that couldn’t be canceled.

The power was still cut, but the vaccine study needed to continue. Guided by the dim light filtered through a window, a nurse stuck a needle in my left arm and drew blood.

She took enough to fill two dark red bottles. They were my small contribution to medical science, a multinational conglomerate and, hopefully, an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since October 1, I have participated in a study of 44,000 people on a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. On Friday, the company announced that the vaccine was 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe illnesses.

The results of the study are welcome news for anyone following the chaotic vaccination campaign in America. Two safe and highly effective vaccines have already been approved on an emergency basis, but the United States is struggling to deliver the vaccines. Having a third vaccine should help, especially since the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one injection and does not need to be stored in special deep-frozen freezers.

It is more than anyone could have expected last summer. At that time, it was already clear that the pandemic would be more than a short-term crisis. New Orleanians made heroic sacrifices and suffered terrible losses in the spring, but people elsewhere still seemed to think that the virus would never reach them.

I was frustrated by the country’s response, saddened by the number of humans in the pandemic and demoralized by not having contact with friends and family.

So I started thinking about joining a study. In a moment of general helplessness, it looked like something I could do to take some of the virus’s power away.

I was also fascinated by the science behind the COVID-19 vaccines. I started reading the draft vaccine studies from the initial phase.

Although two vaccines that proved to be safe and effective were approved in the United States, at that time all candidates seemed to have their pros and cons. This reinforced a factor that emphatically did not play a role in my decision: money. Although every study distributes money – $ 120 per visit, in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – it does not seem enough to offset the risk of a rare reaction.

Fortunately, several vaccine candidates have already passed Phase I and II tests, where scientists do initial safety tests.

The Johnson & Johnson injection uses a modified cold virus to produce a strong immune response, according to a draft study that has already been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In July, regulators in Europe approved an Ebola vaccine based on the same platform.

The day after filling out an online form, someone from the research lab in Metairie called me to schedule an appointment. I went to the clinic at the beginning of October 1st, thinking that I was just being evaluated.

Things went a little faster than that. I talked to a doctor about the risks. I read some papers and signed. In about an hour, a nurse stuck a needle in my arm.

She didn’t know if I was getting the real product or a placebo. Me neither.

For the next 30 minutes, I sat on a couch in the waiting room. The lab staff came by to see if I was having a serious allergic reaction. I checked my phone. Then it was time to go, with an envelope stuffed with $ 120 in cash.

The most painful part of the whole process was placing one of the infamous “brain-stimulating” coronavirus swabs deep in my nose.

That night, I didn’t feel a fever or chills. My arm was never sore. After a difficult week, I realized that everything was fine. I’m not sure yet, but since there were no side effects, I strongly suspect that I got salt water instead of the real one.

Since then, I returned to the laboratory for two follow-up visits. Both times, the nurses collected my blood to test for antibodies to the coronavirus.

The poorly lit follow-up visit after the storm, which was frantically rescheduled from October 29 to October 30 to meet the study’s strict schedule, illustrated the overlapping disasters that made 2020 an unforgettable year in southern Louisiana.

In addition to face-to-face visits, the extent of my participation has been to answer a single question on a smartphone app every Monday and Thursday. The question is always the same – do I have symptoms of COVID-19? – and the answer has always been no. So far.

The strangest part of being a vaccine guinea pig is that you don’t do much. In fact, I work on objectives opposite to the researchers. My main value to them is the chance to get sick, but I do my best to avoid this result.

I have followed all the studies closely and I am happy that the initial results of mine have finally come out. The study is scheduled to take two years to see how long immunity lasts, which is a crucial issue going forward.

But I hope that Johnson & Johnson will follow the example of Moderna and Pfizer and quickly “deselect” their study, so that participants know if they received the original article and, in due time, offer the vaccine to participants who received the placebo.

The company may outline its plans to unveil the study next week, when it submits an application for emergency use to the FDA.