UC Davis Health Is Chosen as a Site for the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Trial
August 2020
UC Davis Health patients become the first in the Sacramento area to be part of a major worldwide clinical trial for a possible COVID-19 vaccine. Headed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech, the trial involves 40,000 participants worldwide. It seeks to determine the efficacy of a new mRNA vaccine against the virus.
The Pfizer Vaccine Arrives at UC Davis Health
Dec. 15, 2020
Exactly 4,875 doses of the lifesaving vaccine, packed in dry ice, are delivered to UC Davis Health just after 7 a.m. The vaccine is stored in a special freezer that maintains a temperature of -80 degrees.
This is truly the beginning of the end of the war on the pandemic.
UC Davis Health CEO David Lubarsky
Watch our excitement as the first vaccines arrive
The First Frontline Health Care Workers Receive the Vaccine
Dec. 15, 2020
Three hours after the first doses arrive, health care workers, including nurses, doctors, sanitation workers, cafeteria employees and others at UC Davis Health begin receiving the first of two doses of the vaccine. The joy is palpable, with people wiping away tears on this monumental day.
I’d rather get the vaccine before COVID gets me. The vaccine is the real hero!
Eva Teniola, a clinical nurse in the Emergency Department who received the first shot
Within weeks, over 80% of frontline workers at UC Davis Health receive the vaccine. COVID-19 cases plummet among hospital staff, allowing a robust workforce to care for patients throughout the pandemic.
UC Davis Health Joins NIH to Launch Clinical Trial for Novavax Vaccine
December 2020
Led by Chief of Infectious Diseases Stuart Cohen, UC Davis Health researchers begin a phase 3 trial of a more traditional vaccine for COVID-19. The trial prioritized participants from groups most affected by the virus, including Latino, African American and Native American communities.
Read about our Novavax vaccine trial
UC Davis School of Medicine Tests Potential COVID-19 Treatments and Vaccines
Summer and Fall 2021
As the pandemic spread globally, researchers at the School of Medicine partnered with drug developers and funding agencies to find and test potential therapies and vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
UC Davis School of Medicine, renowned for its research expertise, is a trusted partner on many COVID-19 clinical trials and research studies. We are immensely grateful to all our researchers who continue to be at the forefront of efforts to cure this terrible disease.
Allison Brashear, the dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine
With more than 75 COVID-19 research grants, the School Medicine conducted at least 28 studies to find potent treatments and vaccines.
Read about our COVID-19 research
An Antibody to Help Block COVID Transmission?
February 2022
UC Davis researchers engineer an antibody that directly interferes with the cell-to-cell transmission ability of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The novel approach targets the enzyme furin, and researchers suspect it could also help prevent transmission of future coronaviruses.
Read how we engineered an antibody