Doctors at Upstate Medical University are testing a potential coronavirus vaccine.

They are looking for volunteers to participate in the study and hope it will be ready by the end of the year.

“It would be the fastest that I’ve ever seen from identifying a new disease, to chararactierizing a new disease, to figure out what causes it and how people get sick, and then coming up with a concept for how to potentially create a vaccine to prevent that disease and then get it into people,” said Dr. Stephen Thomas, an infectious disease specialist at Upstate Medical University.  

Thomas says a handful of people got their first shot on Wednesday.

Some participants will get the vaccine, others will get a placebo. Then they will undergo blood tests for two years. 

“There are a lot of vaccines that make their way into clinical development and then end up not working. My hope is that this is not the time for that,” said Thomas.

Upstate is working with Pfizer and BioNTech.

It is one of 120 locations around the world testing the shot, but Thomas says developing a vaccine is only part of the battle against COVID-19.

“The other half is manufacturing those doses, getting those doses to the people who will most benefit from receiving the vaccine, and making sure that they are willing to receive the vaccine and that there’s a system in place that that can happen. Vaccines don’t save lives. Vaccination saves lives,” said Thomas. 

If the shot is deemed safe and effective, the companies hope to have 100 million doses worldwide by the end of the year. 

To be eligible for the trial, you must be in good health, between the ages of 18 and 85 and able to make the two year commitment for blood testing.

If you've previously tested positive for coronavirus you cannot participate.

Those who are interested can call (315) 464-9869 for more information.