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A new study will attempt to provide answers to what Dr. Anthony Fauci calls “a matter of extreme concern” – whether asymptomatic vaccinated people can spread the coronavirus. And “if they are asymptomatic, how much virus do they have in their noses and pass it on to people who are their closest contacts?” Fauci said Friday. The study, which is supported by the National Institutes of Health, will follow students across 21 college campuses, Axios reports. Half will receive the Moderna vaccine immediately, while the others will receive an injection about four months later. The students will provide nasal swabs, collected in barcode vials. To test for antibodies, blood samples are taken and tracked using an app.
The payment can be nearly $ 1,000 for volunteers, and the study will require 12,000. Results on the effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine are expected in September. The study could play an important role in helping public health officials decide how cautiously vaccinated people should be, including whether to continue wearing masks around someone who hasn’t been vaccinated, according to the study. New York TimesCurrent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not require masks to be worn in small indoor gatherings, although everyone should still wear masks in public. More than 87 million people in the US have had at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, according to the New York Times(Read more stories about coronavirus vaccines.)