U.K. Approves Clinical Trial That Will Deliberately Expose Volunteers to the COVID-19 Virus

Maddog wrote:Ninety healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 30, will be involved in the trial, which will begin in March. (The chances of someone in that age group dying of COVID-19 are estimated at around 1 in 14,000.) The volunteers will be closely watched in a controlled environment and will have access to immediate treatments for the disease. They will also be compensated with payments of around £4,500 ($6,300) over the course of a year.

If human challenge trials had been allowed earlier, they could have significantly sped up the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, saving tens of thousands of lives and sparing millions the misery of illness.

(Link removed as i cant post/include links in posts or replies for 7 days)


Assuming you were young enough, would you do it?

Korben wrote:I would add that many people are siting a link between Vitamin D and covid resistance if that is born out my chances of contracting it are low anyway as i am a natural red head we have some "super powers" others dont have because of the gene that makes people red heads

Maddog wrote:Ninety healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 30, will be involved in the trial, which will begin in March. (The chances of someone in that age group dying of COVID-19 are estimated at around 1 in 14,000.) The volunteers will be closely watched in a controlled environment and will have access to immediate treatments for the disease. They will also be compensated with payments of around £4,500 ($6,300) over the course of a year.

If human challenge trials had been allowed earlier, they could have significantly sped up the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, saving tens of thousands of lives and sparing millions the misery of illness.

https://reason.com/2021/02/18/u-k-approves-clinical-trial-that-will-deliberately-expose-volunteers-to-the-covid-19-virus/


Assuming you were young enough, would you do it?

The Journal of Nutrition wrote:Vitamin D insufficiency is more prevalent among African Americans (blacks) than other Americans and, in North America, most young, healthy blacks do not achieve optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations at any time of year. This is primarily due to the fact that pigmentation reduces vitamin D production in the skin. Also, from about puberty and onward, median vitamin D intakes of American blacks are below recommended intakes in every age group, with or without the inclusion of vitamin D from supplements. Despite their low 25(OH)D levels, blacks have lower rates of osteoporotic fractures.

* * * *

Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly apparent that vitamin D protects against other chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers, all of which are as prevalent or more prevalent among blacks than whites. Clinicians and educators should be encouraged to promote improved vitamin D status among blacks (and others) because of the low risk and low cost of vitamin D supplementation and its potentially broad health benefits.

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/4/1126/4664238

CIDRAP wrote:Black Americans are infected with COVID-19 at nearly three times the rate of white Americans, according to a new document from the National Urban League. The report, based on data from Johns Hopkins University, also shows black Americans are twice as likely to die from the virus.

According to the "State of Black America," the infection rate for blacks is 62 per 10,000, compared with 23 per 10,000 for whites. Latinos see even more infections: 73 per 10,000.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/08/us-blacks-3-times-more-likely-whites-get-covid-19

Syl wrote:

Maddog wrote:Ninety healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 30, will be involved in the trial, which will begin in March. (The chances of someone in that age group dying of COVID-19 are estimated at around 1 in 14,000.) The volunteers will be closely watched in a controlled environment and will have access to immediate treatments for the disease. They will also be compensated with payments of around £4,500 ($6,300) over the course of a year.

If human challenge trials had been allowed earlier, they could have significantly sped up the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines, saving tens of thousands of lives and sparing millions the misery of illness.

https://reason.com/2021/02/18/u-k-approves-clinical-trial-that-will-deliberately-expose-volunteers-to-the-covid-19-virus/


Assuming you were young enough, would you do it?

Nope I wouldn't.
I know every new drug needs guinea pigs for trials before it can be marketed, but I have never been brave enough or poor enough to be tempted by any amount of compensation.

Syl wrote:The mindset certainly changes as we get older, plus we are obviously invincible when we are young.

Though I doubt I would have done it at any age.

Original Quill wrote:Vitamin D deficiency is common in blacks, who coincidentally have a high vulnerability rate when it comes to Covid.  The Journal of Nutrition notes:

The Journal of Nutrition wrote:Vitamin D insufficiency is more prevalent among African Americans (blacks) than other Americans and, in North America, most young, healthy blacks do not achieve optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations at any time of year. This is primarily due to the fact that pigmentation reduces vitamin D production in the skin. Also, from about puberty and onward, median vitamin D intakes of American blacks are below recommended intakes in every age group, with or without the inclusion of vitamin D from supplements. Despite their low 25(OH)D levels, blacks have lower rates of osteoporotic fractures.

* * * *

Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly apparent that vitamin D protects against other chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers, all of which are as prevalent or more prevalent among blacks than whites. Clinicians and educators should be encouraged to promote improved vitamin D status among blacks (and others) because of the low risk and low cost of vitamin D supplementation and its potentially broad health benefits.

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/4/1126/4664238

A study by the University of Minnesota, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), has found that in the US, blacks are three times more likely than whites to get COVID-19:

CIDRAP wrote:Black Americans are infected with COVID-19 at nearly three times the rate of white Americans, according to a new document from the National Urban League. The report, based on data from Johns Hopkins University, also shows black Americans are twice as likely to die from the virus.

According to the "State of Black America," the infection rate for blacks is 62 per 10,000, compared with 23 per 10,000 for whites. Latinos see even more infections: 73 per 10,000.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/08/us-blacks-3-times-more-likely-whites-get-covid-19

A connection?

Maddog wrote:

Syl wrote:The mindset certainly changes as we get older, plus we are obviously invincible when we are young.

Though I doubt I would have done it at any age.

But aren't you glad that there are people that will?  

Tommy Monk wrote:

Original Quill wrote:Vitamin D deficiency is common in blacks, who coincidentally have a high vulnerability rate when it comes to Covid.  The Journal of Nutrition notes:



A study by the University of Minnesota, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), has found that in the US, blacks are three times more likely than whites to get COVID-19:



A connection?

Black's are more likely to live in big cities where the virus is more prevalent... So you can't compare figures per 10,000 across the whole of the country.

Original Quill wrote:

Tommy Monk wrote:

Black's are more likely to live in big cities where the virus is more prevalent... So you can't compare figures per 10,000 across the whole of the country.

Well, we are dealing strictly with hypotheticals here, so that's a factor to fold into the analysis.  Certainly, racism causes ghettos, and the 'center-city' life.  So, a competing hypothesis to the Vitamin D factor would be:

'racism >> ghettos >> {high population density + infectious diseases} = higher death rate for blacks'

But I think a combination of the two, along with other things, might also be confirmed.

eddie wrote:Of I were single and young, then perhaps, as I’m rarely ill, but if I had a family, then definitely not!

Ben Reilly wrote:That's really her, but not her natural colour (which is more of a honey blonde). She dyes it pretty often; since I've known her it's been honey blonde, bright red, purple and now a nice dark red.

Korben wrote:

Ben Reilly wrote:That's really her, but not her natural colour (which is more of a honey blonde). She dyes it pretty often; since I've known her it's been honey blonde, bright red, purple and now a nice dark red.

Cheers Ben well it certainly suits her if i may be so bold. so not a super power then just a good immune system