Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine announced on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020 the opening of a new COVID-19 vaccine unit which will enroll people in clinical trials that will test the efficacy of vaccines against the novel coronavirus. The unit is being led by Barry Zingman, MD, professor of medicine at Einstein and clinical director, infectious diseases, at the Moses division of Montefiore Health System.

The unit opening comes as global coronavirus infections are rising sharply again, with nearly 200,000 cases reported daily in the United States. Montefiore’s goal is to ensure more than half of all trial participants are adults most affected by COVID-19, with a focus on people older than 65. Across the country, older individuals and communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Andrew D. Racine, M.D., Ph.D., system senior vice president and chief medical officer at Montefiore and professor of pediatrics at Einstein, said Montefiore and Einstein have a legacy of providing inclusive access to cutting edge care. “By ensuring that historically underrepresented patients are included in COVID-19 vaccination research, this effort will help ensure the efficacy and safety of vaccines for these underrepresented patient groups,” Racine said.

The new vaccine unit builds on Montefiore and Einstein’s work to date in conducting COVID-19 trials and providing lifesaving clinical care to thousands of people in the community. Enrollment of people in the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine AZD1222 trial has already begun.

Zingman is the principal investigator at Montefiore for the vaccine, which is one of 13 COVID-19 vaccines in phase III trials, and the first to be evaluated at Montefiore and Einstein. Zingman was also the principal investigator at Montefiore and Einstein for the ACTT-1 and ACTT-2 National Institutes of Health trials, which evaluated remdesivir (now FDA-approved as a treatment for people hospitalized with COVID-19) and remdesivir plus baricitinib, respectively.

Since March, physician-scientists at Montefiore and Einstein have studied COVID-19’s impact on almost every major health condition, ranging from asthma to cancer; examined health inequities in local communities; and helped determine which treatments work best against COVID-19.

Among notable research, the Montefiore and Einstein faculty:

Speaking about the new vaccine unit opening, Zingman said, “Words cannot express my appreciation for the many people who worked so hard to establish the new COVID-19 vaccine unit, making sure underrepresented communities will have access to the most promising protection from COVID-19.” He added, “To the healthcare providers and investigators who enthusiastically joined the effort and to the people who are coming in to participate in these critically important trials, we thank you for your role in helping the world end this pandemic.”

The AstraZeneca/University of Oxford vaccine is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial in which two people will get the vaccine for each person who receives a placebo injection. Two injections will be given during the first 29 days.

An independent analysis of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine found it successfully provoked a powerful immune response against COVID-19. The study will not include people previously diagnosed with COVID-19, people whose immune systems are suppressed due to disease or medications, people with cancer, people who are pregnant or nursing, and anyone under age 18.