WASHINGTON — A group of scientists that ran U.S. clinical trials for coronavirus vaccines last year is launching an ambitious new study to look at their effectiveness, including whether vaccinated people can become infected with COVID-19 and spread it to others.
The trials will also look at whether new variants of the coronavirus are able to infect and spread among vaccinated people more than the original virus.
The randomized, controlled study began enrolling more than 12,000 college students between 18 and 26 years old last week at more than 20 universities across the country. The students will self-swab their noses every day for four months to test for COVID-19 after receiving Moderna’s vaccine.
