COVID-19 Challenge Study Results

Today, the results from the world’s first covid-19 challenge study, in which I was a volunteer, released.

No matter how useful the results are, it’s important to remember the best thing about challenge studies – speed – was comprehensively squandered, by the ultra-conservative world of medial ethics, and suffocating bureaucracy.

Challenge studies may have been able to give the world access to vaccines months earlier than the end of 2020, and save thousands of lives. But by that point, they hadn’t even started.

This isn’t due to individuals. Everyone working on that study was fantastic, and each and every one of them contributed to the most incredible achievement. Those who worked on the wards, crunched the numbers, and oversaw the study deserve every bit as much respect as those who have stood on the frontline of the pandemic. Together, these brave, kind, and fiercely intelligent people battled against the virus. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

What held them back was a constellation of problems beyond their control – beyond anyone’s control. We must reign in those problems for the next pandemic – urgently.

We can’t waste another opportunity like this.

Lives will, on one far-away, all-too-soon day, depend on it.

Full disclosure – I was both a volunteer in the UK covid-19 challenge study, and have volunteered or worked for the advocacy organisation 1Day Sooner since August of 2020. This post was not shared with either any members of 1Day Sooner staff, or any members of the study team in any way.

These are personal opinions, and in no way reflect the views of 1Day Sooner. I will not be part of any discussions regarding 1Day’s promotion of this post.