Doing your part to fight COVID-19

Veterans are warriors. You have a long history of fighting battles on foreign shores and defending national security. Also, you are often the first to come forward to protect your country, your communities and the people you love.

You can volunteer to test a new vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.
Your country needs your service again.

Above video: Dr. Anthony Fauci, VADM Jerome Adams, and Veterans Michele Jones and Dr. Adam Robinson speak about volunteering for VA Research on COVID-19.

Facing the global enemy

We are facing a new global enemy. To date, nearly 8.7 million individuals in the U.S. have been infected with COVID-19. Of those, 225,000 people have died. For comparison, that is close to the number of people who live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

So what can you do to help fight COVID-19? That is, aside from wearing a mask, washing your hands and, when possible, keeping at least six feet away from people who are not in your immediate family? You can volunteer to test a new vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.

VA is part of Operation Warp Speed, a program of the U.S. government working to purchase enough COVID-19 vaccines to provide universal coverage for the United States.

We are asking Veterans, their family members, VA employees and others to volunteer to participate in VA’s COVID-19 research. By signing up, you are under no obligation to participate in a study.

If you are a Veteran, your decision to join a study, or not, will in no way affect your VA benefits or health care. In fact, you may learn more about your own health and potentially get early access to a new vaccine or treatment.

Benefits of volunteering

Another benefit of volunteering is to make sure COVID-19 vaccines and treatments are safe and effective for everyone. It is important to have a true cross-section of America represented in research studies — one that includes people from Black, Hispanic and Native American communities.

Sadly, people from minority groups are two to three times more likely to become ill with COVID-19. The only way we can change this is to include a more diverse group of people in research studies. Doing so will help VA scientists better protect all Veterans and their families.

Let’s each do our part to defeat COVID-19. By volunteering, you will help us keep our promise to Veterans and their loved ones: to protect, defend and preserve their health and well-being.

Anyone over the age of 18 can volunteer to participate in VA research by signing up for the coronavirus research volunteer list. If you are eligible to participate in a study, you will be contacted by a study coordinator. The coordinator will answer your questions and help you decide if you wish to participate.