CINCINNATI — Over the course of two years, nearly 200 people in the Tri-State helped save around 1 million lives across the United States, according to UC Health.
Those 200 people were part of the University of Cincinnati's Moderna COVID-19 vaccine study which is now coming to an end for all those involved.
"We know this has been a long two years with lots of visits," the university said in an email sent to study participants. "We appreciate you sticking it out with us. We are in a better place than we were 2 years ago and have learned so much."
Throughout the study, participants had multiple visits with very extensive medical testing along with blood draws, weekly electronic health diaries and monthly calls to update the medical team on the status of their health.
According to the university, participants' final visits are wrapping up shortly.
"We cannot thank you enough for your contribution to this important science. Your contribution has changed the practice of medicine and saved lives," a spokesperson for the study said.
According to the university, without a vaccine for COVID-19, more than 1 million more Americans would've died.
This was a blinded study, which means initially, some study participants received the actual vaccine while others received a placebo, the university said. However, when the FDA granted emergency use authorization in December 2020, participants were given the option to become unblinded and receive the actual vaccine while still being allowed to stay in the study.
Here are the final findings:
- The vaccine showed 94.1% efficacyat preventing COVID-19 illness, including severe disease.
What that means, is that in a vaccinated population, 94% fewer people will contract the disease when they come in contact with the virus, the World Health Organization said.
That 94% efficacy doesn't mean everyone who gets vaccinated only has a 6% chance of getting sick, according to Cedars-Sinai. There's a lot more to it. Having a 94% efficacy rate means that your risk of getting sick before you had the vaccine is reduced by 94%. So, if you are in a high-risk category of getting seriously ill, the vaccine isn't a guarantee to stop infection - It's very individual.
- The vaccine continued to be successful in preventing COVID-19 illness and severe disease for more than five months.
- The data shows an association of vaccine reactions (fever, fatigue, etc) with higher concentrations of antibodies following a second injection.
- In COVID-19-infected individuals, vaccination reduced both the viral copy number and duration of detectable viral RNA, which may be markers for the risk of virus transmission.
- The higher immune responses in those previously infected support the effectiveness of a booster.
More than 30,000 people at nearly 100 trial sites across the country participated in the study.
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