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UNC-Chapel Hill To Conduct COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

NIAID-RML /AP

The University of North Carolina is among the new sites for a COVID-19 vaccine trial. 

Teams at UNC-Chapel Hill are readying a new recruitment website for volunteers to take part in a Phase 3 clinical trial for a coronavirus vaccine.

The News & Observer reports the test vaccine is being developed by Moderna, a private research company.

In addition to analyzing genetic responses to the virus, scientists want to better understand why people have had so many different reactions to COVID-19.

People who have recovered from the disease can also sign up to donate plasma, which contains antibodies that may help new patients fight off the virus.

Scientists at UNC warn that people need to be patient when it comes to vaccine development.

They say trials take time, and require many participants from across the county to ensure success.

UNC has become a hot spot for COVID-19 research, with a number of clinical trials already underway. 

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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