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Would you volunteer to get the coronavirus?

April 22, 2020

Update: This episode has ended.

In this episode of Radio Corona, Gideon Lichfield, editor in chief of MIT Technology Review, discussed volunteer initiatives that might accelerate the development of a coronavirus vaccine.

Joining him was Josh Morrison, executive director at Waitlist Zero and part of the team at 1 Day Sooner. Both organizations recruit volunteers to take part in the covid-19 vaccine trials, some of which—"challenge trials"—will involve deliberately being exposed to the virus to test if the vaccine has worked. Ian Haydon, a volunteer currently taking part in Moderna's vaccine trial (though not a challenge trial) also joined. He explained his decision for us a couple of weeks ago. Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center and the founding director of the Division of Medical Ethics, also talked to us about the ethical questions surrounding the trials.

This episode was recorded on April 23, 2020. You can watch it below.

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