Originally Posted by
twowhat?
Usually, when you enroll as a clinical trial participant, you can withdraw for any reason. Vaccine makers know this, and I believe they're doing their best to ensure timely vaccination of trial participants when they become eligible to be vaccinated (that could mean you stay on the trial and you are guaranteed to get the vaccine but that you stay blinded...so you won't know if you got the vaccine in the first round, or if you got it in the next round, but you would know that you got it). Sometimes that is at the detriment of the study (the study loses statistical power to make assumptions when there are deviations from the original design) but the ethics argument is always there and carefully considered. So if you're seriously considering participating, read all the paperwork and ask this question before committing. And THANK YOU for considering it!!!
Two of my colleagues who are healthcare workers participated in a vaccine trial and got their first vaccine doses just before the commercial vaccines became available. Once the commercial vaccines were available, they were allowed to find out whether they got real vaccine or placebo. Turns out, both got placebo, and both decided to get the real vaccine through our workplace once it was available.
Jen, mom to "Little Miss Tiny" 4/07