Minnesotans will be among the first to volunteer for a COVID-19 vaccine trial. Today (Sept. 2), Bloomington-based HealthPartners announced that it is seeking 1,500 volunteers for a study for the vaccine AstraZeneca’s Phase III study.

Previous trials of the vaccine have displayed positive signs of safety and immunity. The downside of having trials in Minnesota is that such trials typically seek out trials in states with growing virus activity for research purposes to determine whether a vaccine will be effective. Minnesota’s infection rate has double from six per 100,000 people in mid-June to 12 by the end of August.

AstraZeneca is an experimental vaccine that was developed at England’s Oxford University and the goal of the drug is to increase the production of antibodies and T-cells, which help individuals better adapt to infections.

 Those interested in potentially being part of the study can apply at the HealthPartners website (https://www.healthpartners.com/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine-study/). HealthPartners hopes to have the recruitment process completed by the end of October. Participants will be paid $1,000 for expenses like travel to and from clinical visits and travel time.