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Britain to Deliberately Infect Volunteers With Coronavirus

Henry Ridgwell

   LONDON - Healthy volunteers will be deliberately infected with the
   coronavirus to try to speed up the development of a vaccine, under
   plans announced by the British government this week.

   The trial will involve healthy volunteers ages 18 to 30.

   Most coronavirus vaccine trials involve giving volunteers the potential
   vaccine or a placebo and then waiting until enough of them have been
   exposed to the virus through their everyday lives. That can take months
   or years.

   Britain announced this week it plans to begin the so-called "human
   challenge" trials in May 2021 to speed up the development of vaccines.

   Several young people have already volunteered, among them Danica
   Marcos, 22, a recent university graduate from London.

   "So many people [are] struggling right now. I want this pandemic to be
   over," Marcos told The Associated Press."Every day that goes on, more
   cases are going on, more people are dying. And if this vaccine trial
   could mean that this period of trauma for the whole world will be over
   sooner, I want to help. I want to be a part of that."

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