According to the head of the clinical trials unit at Sheba Hospital, patients will come for about 14 visits to check the treatment • "This trial can affect the whole country and the whole world"
The follow-up of patients who receive the vaccine for the corona virus will last about a year, during which they will have 12 to 14 visits and tests for the safety and effectiveness of the treatment, said Dr. Eitan Ben-Ami, head of the early clinical trials at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer The Israeli vaccine will be given next week.
Archive photo: Elad Malka, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense
"In the first month, the tests will be daily and weekly, both by a doctor and laboratory tests, to see if there is a change in their health. The emphasis at this stage is on vaccine safety," said Dr. Ben-Ami, who has been a partner in many trials in the past.
He said this time it was something different: "There is an element here that is beyond medicine or vaccine. This experiment can affect the whole country and the whole world, and there is a sense that it is a national task. Even when we turn to volunteers, many describe them as missionary."
Dr. Ben-Ami also noted that Shiba continues to recruit volunteers for the second trial, and so far hundreds of applications have been received from people interested in joining the trial. In contrast to the first phase, in which healthy 18- to 55-year-olds with no background diseases are vaccinated. Volunteers aged 18 to 85 will be recruited, including volunteers with background illnesses, in a way that should more accurately represent the profile of the people who will eventually receive the vaccine.