Henry Ford Health Systems is now testing vaccines for COVID-19. Here's how to sign up

DETROIT - As vaccine trials enter a new and encouraging stage on the long road to treating the coronavirus, one of the nation's studies is coming to Detroit.

Henry Ford Health System is the only hospital in Michigan to host vaccine trials for a promising drug. The health system is now enrolling volunteers to be part of the Moderna mRNA-1273 Coronavirus Efficacy (Cove) vaccine study.

Henry Ford Health Systems needs volunteers to test vaccines for COVID-19

Those selected will join a volunteer base of about 30,000 others for a study being undertaken by 90 healthcare systems across the U.S.

"The purpose of this study is to test how safe and effective the study vaccine is at preventing illness is someone is exposed to the COVID-19 virus after receiving the vaccine," said Dr. Marcus Zervos, the chief of infectious disease at the hospital. "The study vaccine is being compared to a placebo, which is a sterile saline solution that does not contain any active vaccine.

"This means participants will have a 50% chance of receiving the study vaccine or the placebo."

Volunteers will receive two shots for the double-blind study about a month apart before they visit their enrollment site five additional times. They'll also talk to their coordinators about 24 times over two years.

During that time, participants will be closely monitored for symptoms and will be tested to see if they produce the antibodies needed for protection against the virus. While most vaccines include a weakened version of the virus they're protecting against, mRNA-1273 isn't made from COVID-19.

Instead, it's made from a genetic code that instructs cells how to make protein. In this case, the protein is a small part of the coronavirus that is believed to help the body's immune system build antibodies to protect against the virus.

Zervos says doctors won't know the results of the study until at least next year.

In order to qualify to volunteer, participants must meet these requirements:

Adults age 18 years of age and older who are not pregnant or immune-compromised
Those at high risk of COVID-19 infection, defined as adults whose locations or circumstances put them at greater risk of exposure to the virus responsible for COVID-19
Adults who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 based on age of 65 years or older
Adults who are at high risk due to pre-existing medical conditions that are stable at the time of screening
Healthy adults with no previous history of COVID-19
Those who are free from prior exposure to an investigational vaccine or treatment for COVID-19

Henry Ford Health System's invitation is part of phase 3 of the vaccine trials. Phase 1 showed the vaccine is safe to be administered. Phase 2 showed the vaccine can help produce antibodies.

If you'd like to be a part of the vaccine study, you can fill out a pre-screen form on the hospital's website here.

Learn more about the vaccine trials here.