Coronavirus vaccine study begins in New Orleans

Ochsner Health in New Orleans is one of two sites in Louisiana and among 120 across globe participating in a COVID-19 vaccine study conducted by Pfzer Inc. and BioNTech SE.

re will collectively be up to 30,000 participants in study led by Julia Garcia-Diaz, an infectious disease specialist and Ochsner Health's director of clinical infectious diseases.

"This trial is a great opportunity for us," said Julia Garcia-Diaz, an infectious disease specialist and director of clinical infectious diseases research at Ochsner Health.

"It's a pivotal trial looking at a new corona vaccine. It will be looking at at least 30,000 patients here and across U.S. and abro, and so, trial will be short-lasting, and we hope to get information shortly, in October, and we'll see how it performs."

Ochsner is enrolling a limited number of participants selected from an existing pool of candidates from across state who previously expressed interest in COVID-19 research.

trial is part of one of world's largest COVID-19 vaccine studies helping to test shots. Ors have been created by U.S. government and National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., some in final stretch of global vaccine race.

But re's still guarantee that experimental vaccine will really protect.

Among those participating in trial at Ochsner is Victoria Smith of Kenner, Louisiana.

"I really want to be part of Ochsner's efforts to help to really get a handle on this pandemic and make sure that we're doing things that really can stop this and try to get us back to rmal," Smith said.

"I really hope that my efforts and being a part of this trial will le to fastest development of a vaccine that will allow us to get back to rmal. Also, as an African American, science has t always been great to us. So, I'm also excited to be part of a study that's helping to develop a vaccine …  for a condition that has disproportionately affected African Americans."

Savannah, Georgia, was first site to get underway earlier this month and is among several dozen trial sites scattered around country and more than 100 across globe.

Several or vaccines me by China and by Britain's Oxford University began smaller final-st tests in Brazil and or hard-hit countries earlier this month.

But U.S. requires its own tests of any vaccine that might be used in country and has set a high bar:

Every month through fall, government-funded COVID-19 Prevention Network will roll out a new study of a leing candidate -- each one with 30,000 newly recruited volunteers.

massive studies aren't just to test if shots work. y're needed to check each potential vaccine's safety. And following same study rules will let scientists eventually compare all shots.

In August, final U.S. study of Oxford shot begins, followed by plans to test a candidate from Johnson & Johnson in September and vavax in October -- if all goes according to schedule.