Only 18% of Moderna COVID Vaccine Trial Participants are Latino, Black, Indigenous People

(Photo : Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
A view of Moderna headquarters on May 08, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Biotech Moderna said on Friday that Latino, Black and Indigenous people only made up 18% of their phase three vaccine trials participants.

According to Moderna, there are more than 13,000 for the phase three of the vaccine trial. The numbers on people of color is estimated to be half of their combined percentage in the overall U.S. population, said a CBS News report.

Moderna's people-of-color percentage in vaccine trials is far lower than the rates at which people are contracting COVID-19.

Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave insights on the matter.

They noted that Black people make up 22% of cases while they are 13% of the U.S. while Latinos make up 33% of cases while they are 18% of the country's population.

"It's important that all clinical trials - not just vaccine trials - reflect the populations that will use the product or therapy in the real world," said health care program director Bunny Ellerin.

Racial Minorities in Vaccine Trials

The virus has disproportionately hit racial minorities for some time now. But, according to experts, the first U.S. phase three trials for the COVID-19 vaccine have failed to attract enough such groups.

This isn't something new in the health care field. Lack of diversity among clinical trials has been a long-standing obstacle and concern among experts.

But racial minorities are still important in clinical trials. They are much more vital when it comes to developing a COVID-19 vaccine.

Some races tend to react differently to medical treatment. This is why it's important to involve them in the development of the vaccine.

Other than that, having them take part in the development process also builds trust between their groups and health care professionals.

If they are involved in developing the vaccine, they'll trust the process of formulating it. So, when the treatment becomes available, they won't have so many doubts getting it.

Dr. Emmanuel Peprah, assistant professor of global health at NYU, said 66% minority participation is ideal for the Moderna trial. But he added that a 50% rate can also yield strong, evidence-based results.

The 66% rate was also recommended by infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.

Going lower than that could be dire, he added.

"All vaccines have a certain range of effectiveness," he said, also noting that people have varying reactions to vaccines.

Vaccine Trials Seem to Work Across All Ages

Race and ethnicity aren't the only factors that could affect the vaccines. It also takes age into account.

According to a Reuters report, Moderna said on Wednesday that their vaccine candidate showed similar immune responses among older and younger people.

The results are considered to offer hope that the vaccine can help people at high risk of severe complications of COVID-19.

Moderna is one of the top contenders in the race to develop a vaccine that can fight COVID-19. Its candidate, mRNA-1273, is already in the late stages of human trials.

They are now testing its ability to have safe prevention of viral infection.

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