The University of Kentucky is soliciting volunteers to take part in a study to assess a Johnson & Johnson vaccine booster shot. The university is one of just 10-15 sites in the country running the study.
The Phase 2 trial will look at dosing levels in a potential J&J booster shot and the effectiveness of mixing vaccine types.
The study is open to those who participated in UK's previous J&J vaccine study and members of the general public who received the full two-dose series of the Pfizer vaccine by the end of February 2021. Those taking part also need to be in good health without any known history of COVID-19 infections.
Dr. Rick Greenberg, who is leading the study, says it's one that will help health officials gauge whether booster shots may be effective. For now, he says, that's an open question.
"We don't have the data to support boosters at the moment, or not support them," Greenberg told reporters Wednesday. "What we do know is that the Delta variant appears to be be contagious even in vaccinated individuals, and that includes all the vaccines available in the country."
Yet Greenberg notes that the available vaccines are still doing what they were intended to do, ward off serious illness and death, and officials need more data before weighing in on boosters as a new tool in the public ealth fight against the ever-evolving virus.
Those interested in taking part in the study can apply at stopcovidky.com/booster. Researchers anticipate a strong interest in the study and advise potential volunteers to sign up early.
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