How flu and COVID-19 vaccines protect people seen in outpatient clinics
Official title: RFA-IP-22-004, Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding Vaccine Efficacy and Transmission of Viral Respiratory Tract Infections in the Real World
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11136212 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project measures how well influenza and COVID-19 vaccines protect people who come to outpatient clinics with respiratory symptoms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2022 |
| Project end | September 29, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,610,715 |
| NIH project number | 5U01IP001182-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11136212 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are people of any age who seek care at participating outpatient clinics or emergency departments for acute respiratory illness and are willing to provide a swab, basic health information, and access to vaccination records.
✕Less likely to help
People without respiratory symptoms, those not seeking care at participating sites, or those who decline testing or record access are unlikely to be eligible or benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
You may be invited to join if you visit an outpatient clinic or emergency department with cough, fever, or other respiratory symptoms. The team uses electronic health record alerts to quickly identify and recruit patients, collects respiratory swabs and sometimes blood samples, and verifies vaccination records. They compare people who test positive for influenza or SARS-CoV-2 with those who test negative using a test-negative approach to estimate vaccine protection. Viral samples will be sequenced to track strains and the data will be checked and analyzed to inform real-world vaccine performance.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could improve vaccine recommendations and help public health officials reduce flu and COVID-19 illness in the community.
How similar studies have gone: Test-negative designs and related surveillance studies have been widely used and have successfully produced vaccine effectiveness estimates for influenza and COVID-19.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: House, Stacey — Washington University
- Study coordinator: House, Stacey
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Understanding how well vaccines work against respiratory viruses in real-world settings
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.