, Columnist
Why I Just Volunteered for a Covid-19 Vaccine Trial
The ability to give truly informed consent is the most important factor.
A researcher works on a vaccine for Covid-19.
Photographer: Thibault Savary/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
The notion of testing Covid-19 vaccines by deliberately infecting volunteers with the novel coronavirus — something that’s now on the table — isn’t necessarily crazy or unethical. It’s smart, and it has benefits that far outweigh the risks.
So-called challenge trials, as scientists call them, vastly speed up the process of vaccine testing and might also help us understand the natural immunity of people who’ve already been infected.