Would you participate in a clinical trial?

For many, it is beginning to seem as though COVID-19 is never-ending. Worldwide, individuals are clinging to the shared hope that a vaccine will put an end to the pandemic. However, the development of a vaccine requires an extensive clinical process which must be completed before the vaccine is accessible to the public. This process includes clinical trials for specific age groups, including high school-aged students.

Clinical trials represent a crucial stage in developing vaccines, prescription drugs, or medical protocols, as they provide necessary information regarding safety and effectiveness. Willing volunteers participate in clinical trials, as they courageously receive new treatments and the unknown impact on their short and long-term health. While there can be apprehension about being involved in clinical trials, there are many people who accept this responsibility in the hopes of advancing medicine. 

At Scituate High School, students expressed mixed feelings about participating in clinical trials. When asked if she would be willing to participate in a clinical trial for the coronavirus vaccine, junior Ella Ward responded, “I would not because there’s not enough research about the effects of the vaccine in the future, and I don’t want to risk my life like that.” This response was a feeling shared by many, as high school students are still growing and developing, and clinical trials have unknown effects. In addition, the longer-lasting effects of the vaccine are unknown, and it can be difficult for students to take this risk without knowing all of the information. 

There are certainly many positive and negative impacts of clinical trials. In talking about these impacts, SHS junior Abigail Short responded by saying, “If it goes well, you can really save thousands of people, but if it goes wrong, you could die.” Junior Abigail Spires echoed this statement, deeming this situation as being “high-risk, high reward.” With this in mind, Spires explained the “high risk” can be scary when you don’t know exactly what is being injected into your body. Spires also said there can be “a high reward, and it could be to cure the coronavirus.” 

Knowing someone who has participated in a clinical trial can make someone’s decision whether or not to participate much easier–regardless of what the clinical trial is for. SHS junior Jordan Tripp mentioned that she knew of a specific clinical trial, explaining that the trial “shows that most teenagers who are Type One Diabetic have higher A1C’S.” Tripp said, “They were kind of testing that theory and using the continuous glucose monitor to see if that would improve everyone’s A1C from their previous ones and make it lower.” When asked if she would be willing to participate in a clinical trial of the coronavirus vaccine, Tripp said she would not feel comfortable, saying, “there’s not enough research on it.”

Abigail Short also said she knew of a clinical trial: “My dad works for Vertex, and they do clinical trials for Cystic Fibrosis, and they had a new drug that they just got approved for and… it’s for a specific type since there are so few people with Cystic Fibrosis, and so they had a trial of it and it went really well and it actually helped.” Short added, “The life expectancy for Cystic Fibrosis is around 40 years, and their new drug called Trikafta has improved it anywhere from a couple of years to even decades.” The impacts from the clinical trials can be reassuring for many, especially with the number of people who are unsure about clinical trials and their effects. 

Recently, news has circulated concerning a vaccine for COVID-19 that will be released to the public. This is great news, as it brings hope that there may be an end to the virus. There are certainly unknowns to vaccines, which brings similar responses from high school students about participating in a clinical trial. Regarding the new vaccine that has been introduced to the public, junior Jordan Tripp commented, “I’m relieved in a way that they are moving forward with the vaccine, but I am also nervous that it’s not going to work, and it’s getting everyone’s hopes up, and things are just going to keep getting worse until they find one.”

Tripp added, “I’m also worried that because they think they found the vaccine people are going to start being less Covid cautious, and it might not necessarily work.” This fear is shared by many because even though there is a need for a vaccine, people are not fully convinced about the vaccine and its impact. This shared concern was expressed by Ella Ward: “It’s a little scary that coming up with the vaccine was called Operation Warp Speed.” It can be unnerving to know that something so important was done so quickly, as the process for the vaccine may not be fully known, which can cause unrest for many. 

People are unsure, and many believe there is a risk in taking the new vaccine. However, clinical trials have been used in the past to develop vaccines to improve the public health conditions of the nation and the world. Many people want life to go back to “normal,” yet they are cautious about the vaccine’s impact. As vaccination of the public begins, SHS students will anxiously be waiting to see what the future holds.