Discussion Board

Would you participate in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study to test a COVID-19 vaccine? Do you think such studies are ethical? Should concluded studies be unblinded (telling participants wether or not they were in the control group (placebo) or experimental group (vaccine)? Could there be a ‘placebo effect’ in a vaccine trial?
Many companies have a vaccine in development (Pfizer, Modern, AstraZeneca, for example). What are some of the issues with the ‘Warp Speed’ approach to the COVID-19 vaccine? How might the design of their experiments impact the results? Will a company’s experimental design influence wether or not you will take that vaccine? For example, it has not been tested on children, so, I would most definitely not give it to mine. But what about study participants that match your demographic? Your age, gender, race, medical history, environmental exposure, etc. Let’s say you are a post-menopausal, 55-year old, Wolof woman with diabetes and immune issues, but no similar study participants were tested-would you still take it? Do study results even list this information?
You do not have to answer all of the questions- choose one ‘subtopic’ that interests you most. Whichever prompt you follow up on, make sure to explain your reasonings and provide citations for your references.  You should conduct research, synthesize the information and present it in a way that shows your understanding.