Zach Wurtz who is a York County native is opting to participate in an experimental coronavirus vaccine study.
Wurtz, 36, now lives in Seattle, Washington and says he saw a random study was being done online before deciding he would apply.
“It was clear it was for coronavirus, which just peaked my interest even more,” Wurtz said.
After a rigorous screening over the phone, Wurtz says he found out he met the criteria.
“I have to go in especially at the beginning every few days for appointments and then it gets less and less frequent as the year and the half goes on,” he said.
According to researchers at Kaiser Permanente, the trial vaccine includes messenger RNA for the viral spike protein. it does not include any form of live virus, and the trial will not expose participants to the virus.
While Wurtz says he hopes his contribution will make a difference , he insists on not taking any sort of credit.
“All I am really doing is showing up for appointments and the scientists are the ones doing the hard work,” said Wurtz. “They are the ones researching and attacking it from every angle,” he added.
“I hope that we come out of this stronger and I hope that I can offer even a small contribution to this,” he said.
The vaccine is expected to take a year to 18 months to be validated and is being funded by the National Institutes of Health.