Henry Ford Health Systems Starts Human Trials For Covid-19 Vaccine

(CBS DETROIT) - Victor McFadden is playing a crucial role in helping scientist find a solution for Covid-19.

The 64-year-old is a volunteer for the phase three trial of merdona, a vaccine study headed by the national institutes of health.

"Right now it's whatever it takes to get this under control. I'm willing to help. I didn't think i would do it like this but whatever it takes," McFadden.

The Henry Ford Health System kicked-off the human trial in Detroit as the only site in Michigan participating in the double-blind study.

"One of the reasons we're selected for this study is because we have a diverse patient population including a very diverse ethnic and racial groups that we can include in the project," HFHS Division Head Of Infectious Disease Dr. Marcus Zervos.

Enrolled participants will either receive a placebo or the study vaccine at random.

The purpose is to see if a two-dose vaccine prevents Covid-19 for people exposed to the virus.

"It's critical for us to enroll people that are in different age groups, different vulnerabilities for infection is that we want to make sure that the response to the vaccine side effects are similar in all the groups that we study," said Zervos.

90 health systems across the country are working to enroll 30,000 volunteers for the merdona vaccine study.

Phase one showed the vaccine to be safe, while phase two showed it to produce antibodies.

This phase takes the study to the next level, by watching how volunteers respond to it over the course of two years.

"I wanted to see if there was something I could do to help. You know I got time, I'm not doing anything. So why not do something that's going to help the world," said Zervos.

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