Participants sought for state-wide COVID-19 vaccine study

Participants are now being invited to take part in a community-based COVID-19 vaccine immune response study run by a collaboration of health and university researchers.

The aim of the Queensland COVID-19 Safety and Efficacy Statewide Study (QoVAX SET Statewide Study) is to better understand the short, medium and long-term impacts of COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines in Queensland.

This will include understanding how and why people’s immune system respond differently to COVID-19 vaccines in a Queensland context.

The study is open to Queensland adults who have received two or more doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, with the last dose received one to three months ago.

Director of QoVAX SET Statewide Study Professor Janet Davies said research of this nature was a normal part of the vaccine lifecycle.

“Studying immune responses as part of the vaccine lifecycle is a very important process and is consistent with similar studies completed on other vaccines,” Professor Davies said.

“Given this has been the largest coordinated vaccination program both in Queensland and across the world – we want to record and evaluate the immune response and vaccine experience of Queenslanders aged 18 years and over.

“The study will provide us with a clearer picture about what factors – such as our genetic makeup, lifestyle and general health and wellbeing – influence a person’s vaccine response in this real-world situation.

“This information will allow us to better understand how the vaccine may need to evolve to combat new variants and who may need more health care to stay well with COVID-19.”

To participate, eligible Queenslanders will need to complete a consent form and fill out an online questionnaire.

Once consent is given to join the study, participants will complete a survey online. If participants agree to give a blood sample, they will be emailed a pathology request form and asked to go to a participating pathology collection centre for blood samples to be collected.

Participation in the study is free. For more information, visit the QoVAX SET Statewide Study website.