Kaiser Permanente joins COVID-19 vaccine study.

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) – Portland could become instrumental in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, as clinical trials for a new vaccine could begin here as early as next week.

Kaiser Permanente in Portland is taking the reins on the research as the vaccine will be tested on thousands of people.

The vaccine is moving into the final stages of testing, with researchers moving closer to getting the vaccine on the market to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end.

“I mean, really, we look around the world and the horrific impact this pandemic has had,” Britta Torgrimson-Ojerio with Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research said.

“The human toll, the social toll, the economic toll, and having an effective vaccine is really what we need to get us back to our normal lives.”.

The Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research will begin clinical trials over the next few weeks for the vaccine.

This will be the final stages of testing, where researchers say they hope to understand how long the vaccine can prove to be effective.

While the vaccine is in its final stage, there is no timeline yet for when it could potentially be available, Kaiser Permanente says.