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Medical experts are urging the involvement of Black people for vaccine trials against the coronavirus, saying it’s crucial to a community already gravely impacted by the virus.
Now that scientists and medical experts are in a rush to find an adequate response to COVID-19, they say Black people’s involvement is critical, particularly because of pharmacogenetics, or the science that studies how genetic factors affect reactions to drugs.
In other words, a vaccine might not be useful to Black people if Black people don’t participate in the clinical trials to create the drug.
Dr. Aletha Maybank, the American Medical Association’s chief equity officer and group vice president of its Center for Health Equity, is calling out institutions on how they connect with Black people.
Maybank went on to say that building trust is key to getting Black people to participate in clinical trials.