New COVID vaccine study

Pacific Northwest researchers will soon begin enrolling 3,500 children and adults to participate in the CASCADIA study to assess how well COVID-19 vaccines protect against infection in the community.

While individuals ages 6 months to 49 years will be included in the study, the primary goal of the study is to assess how well COVID-19 vaccines protect children ages 5 to 18 years. Researchers will also evaluate infections among all participants, young and old, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to better understand the role that viral variants have in infection and the effect of risk factors, such as age, health status and sociodemographic characteristics. Testing will also be done for flu and other viruses.

At $78 million, the work is one of the larger studies the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is funding, said Dr. Helen Chu, associate professor (Allergy and Infectious Diseases) who’s co-leading the research.

“This information will be vital for understanding how well vaccines work in the community over time, how long immunity lasts, and when boosters will be needed,” she said.