ORLANDO, Fla. – The race to create a COVID-19 vaccine is on and there’s a way Central Floridians can help with the process.
CNS Healthcare plans to conduct clinical trials in Orlando, according to its website, and is currently seeking participants.
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Anyone interested in signing up can click here to provide their contact information and answer a few questions, including whether they’re healthy and if they’ve ever tested positive for the deadly respiratory illness.
Prospective participants can also indicate whether they’re interested in vaccine trials, medication trials or both.
“As the research community gets closer to finding answers, CNS Healthcare is seeking clinical trial volunteers. Identification of interested volunteers is crucial in speeding up enrollment in the trials that will provide answers and solutions,” the website reads.
Enrollment for similar trials is also open in Jacksonville and Memphis, Tennessee.
The information provided doesn’t indicate when trials will begin but an ad on Facebook claims those who enroll can earn up to $900.
CNS Healthcare has not returned News 6′s requests for comment.
National health leaders, including the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, have said that social distancing and wearing masks will likely be “the new normal” until an effective vaccine is developed and deployed.
Fauci said recently that he’s hopeful a vaccine could be available later this year or early next year. Before that can happen, vaccines will need to be tested worldwide.
“This isn’t a race of who gets there first. This is, get as many approved, safe and effective vaccines as you possibly can,” Fauci said.
The U.S. is set to open the largest trials -- 30,000 people to test a government-created shot starting in July, followed about a month later with another 30,000 expected to test a British one.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.