COVID-19 trials pause over safety concerns

The race to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments continues, with multiple clinical trials now in the final stages of testing. While the research is moving rapidly, it’s not without challenges. Two different trials were paused recently over potential safety concerns.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, discusses current COVID-19 clinical trials. Dr. Poland also covers the possibility of reinfection with COVID-19, and the importance of getting a flu vaccination to protect yourself from influenza during the pandemic.

To practice safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this interview was conducted using video conferencing. The sound and video quality are representative of the technology used.

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Dr. Poland has served as a consultant for Merck & Co. Inc., Medicago Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Sanofi Pasteur, Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Dynavax Technologies Corp., Genentech Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., Kentucky BioProcessing Inc. and Genevant Sciences Corp., and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. He is a paid scientific adviser for Johnson & Johnson. Honoraria: Elsevier.