UCLA Researchers Are Tracking How Effective The COVID-19 Vaccines Are For Health Care Workers

UCLA has received a $4.9 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among 10,000 health care workers across the country.

Researchers at UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine and the University of Iowa are studying vaccinated and non-vaccinated health care workers. Both groups will be tested for COVID-19 if they experience common symptoms of the virus. The researchers will compare the severity of illness of those who test positive.

UCLA's Dr. David Talan is co-leading the yearlong trial. He says he hopes it gives people who are still on the fence about getting vaccinated some useful information.

"The people who are part of this study are the very doctors and nurses and other types of healthcare employees who they may know. We're thinking that this information may be particularly meaningful to people."

Of the 16 academic medical centers involved in the study, Olive View UCLA Medical Center is the only local hospital participating. One other California hospital, Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, is among the 16.

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Talan says that at the medical centers participating in the study, about 80% of health care workers have been vaccinated so far.

Health care workers are eligible to participate if they've had symptoms. Those eligible can learn more: Preventing Emerging Infections through Vaccine EffectiveNess Testing (Project PREVENT)

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UCLA Researchers Are Tracking How Effective The COVID-19 Vaccines Are For Health Care Workers