ATLANTA — As more people continue to get vaccinated across the state, there's one group of people who may think they're at the end of the line.
Morehouse School of Medicine is starting a vaccine trial on Monday focused on college age students.
They are one of 22 places across the country participating in the trial, and they're they only location in Georgia.
Organizers are asking for at least 500 participants between the ages of 18 and 26. They're also hoping to get a large number of minorities.
"The communities of color are the hardest hit as far as the disease side, the infection side, and I think if we want to say these vaccines are working effectively, we need to include a portion of the population that is being the hardest hit," said Dr. Immergluck, a Morehouse School of Medicine professor and the school's lead investigator for COVID-19 trials.
Immergluck says everyone who participates will receive the Moderna vaccine. It will be around a four month process, and participants will either get the vaccine on the front end or during the latter half of the trial. However, she says everyone is guaranteed to get the actual vaccine.
She says they're targeting the specific age group because those people are towards the end of the vaccine rollout, but are more likely to be out and around more people.
"It would help us understand what's your risk for re-infection, what's your risk for transmission after you've been vaccinated," Immergluck said. "I think that's an important question the study starts to delve into and answer that."
Volunteers will have to travel to Morehouse School of Medicine to get their vaccine, but the rest of the trial obligations can be done from home.
MSM says they are hoping to launch a research mobile unit to help with their data collection.
Dr. Immergluck says they also want to do a pediatric study soon.
If you would like to volunteer for the trial, you sign up on their website.
You can also call 1-888-788-0644.