The people who get paid to get sick

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  • Опубликовано: 14 май 2023
  • I went inside the former hotel where, for science (and money), people are volunteering to get colds, flu, and RSV. ■ Challenge trials looking for volunteers: flucamp.com/ and www.1daysooner.org/recruiting...
    This isn't an advert! the subject was suggested by the team at 1DaySooner, but that's it: no money changed hands and no editorial control was given away.
    Two bonus facts I couldn't fit in the main video:
    😷 There are some challenge trials which require stronger quarantine protocols or negative-pressure rooms, but they're much more rare (and much more difficult to film)
    🧻 The tissues that volunteers sneeze into have to be put into a separate bag, so they can be weighed
    Camera by Jamie MacLeod
    Edited by Julian Domanski
    🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
    (you can find contact details and social links there too)
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    👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

Комментарии • 2 тыс.

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  Год назад +3871

    And thus ends the accidental trilogy of videos where I've got some sort of protective clothing on! The pinned comment plug this week is for my newsletter: if you want interesting links in your inbox every Monday, go here: www.tomscott.com/newsletter/

    • @Cactus88
      @Cactus88 Год назад +4

      Brraaarrrtttt

    • @coolchannelyt
      @coolchannelyt Год назад +3

      hi tom im here :D

    • @imoutodaisuki
      @imoutodaisuki Год назад +7

      5:52 nice walk on the short corridor!

    • @hatjodelka
      @hatjodelka Год назад +15

      One thing I'd love you to do is how these trials (drug trials too) are largely men. One of the recent 'Alzheimer's breakthrough drug' doesn't work for women (who are more likely to develop the disease). Please cover this.

    • @typerightseesight
      @typerightseesight Год назад +3

      Thats like the time I paid $300 a month rent to live in a storage unit before I got gang raped by a mortage broker/real estate agent.

  • @johnchessant3012
    @johnchessant3012 Год назад +3422

    4:17 "do not use provided tissues for anything other than sneezing or blowing your nose"

    • @KiliGraphics
      @KiliGraphics Год назад +693

      No more word needed than this

    • @Mr47steam
      @Mr47steam Год назад +307

      "let the guy get his rocks off"

    • @l.u.c.a.s.
      @l.u.c.a.s. Год назад +470

      There's probably regular toilet paper in the bathroom for other needs ;)

    • @Insan1tyW0lf
      @Insan1tyW0lf Год назад +1011

      "Tissues are treated with antimicrobial compounds which may cause irritation to sensitive skin."
      And/or:
      "Tissues are collected and analysed for mucus viral load monitoring. Non-nasal secretions may throw off results."

    • @ShenDoodles
      @ShenDoodles Год назад +87

      @Mr. MXB There's a PlayStation

  • @TMWriting
    @TMWriting Год назад +10103

    I used to do clinical trials (before I found a full-time job) and it always made me laugh so hard when the contracts specifically point out that they're paying you for your TIME and not paying you to be experimented on.

    • @Michaelsmith21588
      @Michaelsmith21588 Год назад +167

      exactly 😀

    • @ten060
      @ten060 Год назад +2064

      I mean, that's the ethics of it. It's unethical to incentivise people to risk their health for money, but it's also unethical to not reimburse people for their time. Therefore, people are paid at a UK minimum wage rate (~£9.50/hr). However, as they're under controlled circumstances 24/7 for 2 weeks, that adds up to a lot of hours (350+), which means you'll be paid ~£3.5k. Makes sense to me.

    • @jwalster9412
      @jwalster9412 Год назад +613

      "if you get sick, that was not on us, that was you. "

    • @Archimedes.5000
      @Archimedes.5000 Год назад

      @@tbotalpha8133because they are being purposefully infected?
      This is not an experimental treatment like regular clinical trials are, you are creating a risk instead of at worst reducing it by placebo effectiveness

    • @Archimedes.5000
      @Archimedes.5000 Год назад +15

      @@alexm9479good point, I didn't think of this

  • @Picobits
    @Picobits Год назад +1679

    Funnily enough, I applied to this exact clinical trial (FluCamp). They rejected me on account of being too healthy. I had the antibodies for everything they were testing...

    • @jomarcentermjm
      @jomarcentermjm Год назад +158

      Would be funny if they did a reverse and check on you on how you have every immunity

    • @Demonrifts
      @Demonrifts Год назад

      @@jomarcentermjm Your body develops antibodies, primarily, by being exposed to a virus. So OP has apparently been exposed and recovered from the viruses that they were testing vaccines for.

    • @ArDeeMee
      @ArDeeMee Год назад +115

      Ha! That‘s the best reason for failing.

    • @Thunderclap117
      @Thunderclap117 Год назад +25

      @@jomarcentermjm cheat codes

    • @hiimcortana1568
      @hiimcortana1568 Год назад +93

      Lmao. That's the best thing you could hear for getting rejected

  • @carriebartkowiak
    @carriebartkowiak Год назад +594

    I know a lot of authors who would gladly go into this program, as long as they were permitted to keep working on their manuscripts.
    A quiet, peaceful room without constant interruptions every five minutes from family and the siren's call of never-ending household chores? Usually they have to pay quite a lot of money at a local hotel for that.

    • @jmckendry84
      @jmckendry84 Год назад +73

      The catch though is that you might get sick while you're trying to write!

    • @samaradragonhart5719
      @samaradragonhart5719 Год назад +52

      I thought the same thing. And if you do get sick, that's just extra writing material.

    • @mythtree6348
      @mythtree6348 Год назад

      odd that you say this .. i was living next to JKRowling when i considered doing such a drug trial. Fortunately now I know how corrupt medical science is and i wouldnt touch it with a bargepole. How on earth have you not noticed the last few years ???

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Год назад +35

      Perhaps getting infected with a virus is the cure to writer's block.

    • @mythtree6348
      @mythtree6348 Год назад +12

      @@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Orwell was dying of TB when he wrote 1984. Sadly nobody heeded his book tho so he shouldnt have bothered. I cant believe you folks are so in the dark.

  • @VTimmoni
    @VTimmoni Год назад +8838

    I literally owe people like this my life.

  • @Koopaperson
    @Koopaperson Год назад +5507

    Tom could put anything in a title, add (For science) and then legitimately explain why it’s for science

    • @JonathanCorwin
      @JonathanCorwin Год назад +135

      SpongeBob SquarePants (for science)

    • @bod-7268
      @bod-7268 Год назад +192

      Why i ate bat soup in Wuhan (For science)

    • @mrcoolz5541
      @mrcoolz5541 Год назад +119

      Blowing people up (for science)

    • @fang_xianfu
      @fang_xianfu Год назад

      These people put things up their bottoms (for science)

    • @victoriaeads6126
      @victoriaeads6126 Год назад +88

      Only because Tom has a reputation for legitimacy and for NEVER producing clickbait. Love you, Tom!

  • @keyholes
    @keyholes Год назад +674

    From an immunosuppressed person: Thank you. You are a crucial part of life-saving work.

    • @ItzChickenYall
      @ItzChickenYall Год назад +1

      What that mean ? 🧐🧐

    • @2wen98
      @2wen98 11 месяцев назад +36

      @@ItzChickenYall their immune system doesn't work, or not very well. any illness could be deadly to them

  • @ciclon5682
    @ciclon5682 Год назад +876

    so. let me get this straight:
    im paid. and i am also given a private room, for a few weeks, with food, treats, a tv, a ps4, and all i have to do is, get the flu.. and its also for the good of medicine as a whole.. as long as its fully concensual, i have no ethical complains with this, hell if i am healthy enough i might volunteer myself to do this, worst case scenario there is an entire team of highly skilled medics ready to tend to me if things go south.

    • @rossstewart9475
      @rossstewart9475 Год назад +9

      You didn't get it entirely straight, I'm afraid: You forgot the part where you're given experimental drugs.
      Worst case scenario, there are long term consequences for the drugs you're given that didn't show up in animal testing. This important detail is why there is an ethical question hanging over the concept.
      Renumerating those who volunteer sems appropriate, but given that poverty and the threat of poverty is a thing, it becomes uncomfortable when we might consider that an individual could feel forced to join such trials to pay for their existence.
      The glories of capitalism, I guess.

    • @Dkgow
      @Dkgow Год назад +63

      It may be the flu this time, it may be super covid the next. You never know what you may get or what you will feel for it.
      I would do this, but I am sure having an adverse reaction to needles, I would be disqualified as they wouldn't want someone like me to be injected. They wouldn't know if it was my adverse reaction (fear of needles) or if it was the virus itself.

    • @durdleduc8520
      @durdleduc8520 Год назад

      @@Dkgow they wouldn't give you super covid, the entire point is that they are administering a virus that they know you will recover from. there would have to be a severe mishap for you to actually get threatened. doctors do not mess around

    • @derp777_
      @derp777_ Год назад

      @@Dkgow well, you will know what you'll get. that's part of the whole informed consent thing. you sign up for a study about a specific virus and you know you're getting the common cold or influenza or super covid when you're signing the consent form, long before you get infected.

    • @sircalvin
      @sircalvin Год назад +139

      @@Dkgow i may be wrong but last time i checked a fear of needles does not have similar symptoms to a respiratory virus
      also you know exactly what you're getting, in the the thingy you sign

  • @rickseiden1
    @rickseiden1 Год назад +3717

    £4,000 - £4,500 is a lot of money and could really help someone between jobs. Also, it's more than that. You don't have to pay the "cost of living" expenses like food or basic necessities while you're in there. I can really see this program as being appealing to people who need some money in a very bad way.

    • @roguegryphonica3147
      @roguegryphonica3147 Год назад +202

      Considering how things will be by winter they will have plenty of people as paid volunteers

    • @jacksongatens2419
      @jacksongatens2419 Год назад +337

      I know a guy who did this in Philly a couple years ago he said most of the people he did it with were guys in and out of prison or homeless people who got clean long enough to take part in the trial

    • @FlamRackett
      @FlamRackett Год назад +161

      I signed up to a very similar scheme at aged 18 when I was unemployed. They were offering £2000, plus paid travel. I was ready to go until I got offered a job and had to cancel

    • @Decodeish1
      @Decodeish1 Год назад +457

      However, this raises ethical questions mainly regarding the use of poor people for "risky" experiements. This is quite similar to the human egg extraction or organ extraction if you give money for it you specifically target poor people which is not what the study should use (as this abuses their position). I get the point but it's quite ethically difficult to do programs like this. This is why they say that the people are compensated for their time rather than being paid for it.

    • @hastyscorpion
      @hastyscorpion Год назад +199

      @@Decodeish1 on the flip side with no financial incentive you would get significantly less people doing it. Which hurts humanity as a whole.

  • @Sergeantmajormario
    @Sergeantmajormario Год назад +1326

    Me at the start of this video: "Oh lord... I can't imagine people doing that..."
    Dr Andrew Catchpole "People are compensated for their time here, usually £4,000"
    Me: ".....Just a couple of weeks, huh?"
    Edit: people in my replies talking about the differences in the salaries. I'm an unemployed Brit, so that's nearly a years worth of Universal Credit for just 2 weeks

    • @smugler
      @smugler Год назад +49

      That's like a 2 years salary in my country.

    • @Tarks_Coady_EFC
      @Tarks_Coady_EFC Год назад +7

      ​@@smugler Where u from bro?

    • @noelic6744
      @noelic6744 Год назад +28

      @@Tarks_Coady_EFC That's like the salary for the lower end of the middle class people in Bangladesh.

    • @mastaw
      @mastaw Год назад +2

      ​@@noelic6744per what?

    • @nuip7936
      @nuip7936 Год назад +6

      @@mastaw annual salary

  • @Pehmokettu
    @Pehmokettu Год назад +362

    This reminds me of one Finnish research project where you got a free trip to Benin (a country in Africa) and you were free to do anything in the area but if you got diarrhea then you had to poo in a plastic bag and call a researcher to pick up the diarrhea sample for the experiment. They were researching ways to prevent and cure diarrhea.

    • @tbotalpha8133
      @tbotalpha8133 Год назад +10

      Why would you send someone to an area prone to diarrhea-causing diseases, in the hope that they'd get sick? You could just go there yourself, find some people who are already suffering, take samples from them, pay them for their... products, and then take that stuff away for analysis.
      And if you really needed a live and compliant subject, it would be far safer and more reliable to transport your samples back home, isolate the disease in a lab, then infect paid volunteers in a controlled environment. This supposed research project makes no sense.

    • @theninja4137
      @theninja4137 Год назад

      ​@@tbotalpha8133 I guess they wanted to know how non-immune Europeans react to exposure of bacteria there
      Taking samples of the local population would be different to samples from people who were not exposed to local germs before. Intentionally infecting people tells you nothing about what strains they'd be infected with

    • @draconblade
      @draconblade Год назад +92

      @@tbotalpha8133 They were testing a vaccination against "travelers' diarrhoea" and testing mental wellbeing due to traveling to the tropics . The paper is called "A Two-Week Vacation in the Tropics and Psychological Well-Being-An Observational Follow-Up Study".

    • @TryinaD
      @TryinaD Год назад +2

      I would willingly take this experiment to travel to Bali (I’m Indonesian but lives overseas and have been for 5 years)

    • @MrTeddy12397
      @MrTeddy12397 Год назад

      @@tbotalpha8133 locals are more resistant to diarrhea, travellers are extremely suspectible.

  • @oakenshadow6763
    @oakenshadow6763 Год назад +159

    Wow. I never knew this was a thing. Awesome. Thank you to everyone who does this. I worked in a grocery store all through Covid. I risked my life with far less compensation.

    • @oakenshadow6763
      @oakenshadow6763 Год назад +9

      @@mythtree6348 I knew about clinical trials for medications. I just never thought of this side of it.

  • @P0PE418
    @P0PE418 Год назад +4007

    Dammit, I wish they had this stuff in my area I’d be doing this as much as I could, helping science and getting to lay sick and play video games.

    • @theyruinedyoutubeagain
      @theyruinedyoutubeagain Год назад +377

      I'd be self-conscious enough that I'd keep working on my laptop.

    • @dakoderii4221
      @dakoderii4221 Год назад

      The propaganda is working well. Edward Bernays and Joseph Mengele would be proud.

    • @mykeljmoney
      @mykeljmoney Год назад +240

      I saw that PS4. I could manage gaming for a few weeks.

    • @Tomluke5823
      @Tomluke5823 Год назад +175

      ​@@theyruinedyoutubeagainidk I think will be good for teens or college students making quick bagwhen job is not really important

    • @firecrow7973
      @firecrow7973 Год назад +189

      @@Tomluke5823 2k a week is way more than i make

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  Год назад +1794

    I would like to clarify that when I said "great content" at the start, I meant it ironically. No-one's work should ever have to be referred to as "content".

    • @elquesohombre9931
      @elquesohombre9931 Год назад +37

      How was this written 13 days ago

    • @halcyon_starlight
      @halcyon_starlight Год назад +2

      @@elquesohombre9931 O.O

    • @Chickaqee
      @Chickaqee Год назад +6

      @@elquesohombre9931 and why does it have such few likes

    • @MikevanLieshout
      @MikevanLieshout Год назад +16

      ​@@elquesohombre9931 members get the videos earlier

    • @rukiakuckiki3980
      @rukiakuckiki3980 Год назад +22

      That's super cool of you to come back and specify that. I look up to your respect for others a lot. Thank you for being such a good human

  • @rafielk3606
    @rafielk3606 Год назад +41

    2:26 at least the researchers have a sense of irony and comedy, offering sims 4 as one of the ps4 games when you are inside in quarantine

  • @josephcaisley560
    @josephcaisley560 Год назад +108

    I did a trial here in March. Got paid £3.25k, great experience would definitely do it again. Good for if you’re self employed or WFH

    • @josephcaisley560
      @josephcaisley560 Год назад +33

      I didn’t even get sick

    • @tuckerbugeater
      @tuckerbugeater Год назад

      @@josephcaisley560 Just wait for the next pandemic. You might get some bennies.

  • @Sentinel-cc3lo
    @Sentinel-cc3lo Год назад +169

    £4,000 to sit in a room and play Bloodborne for two weeks without seeing anyone? I did that for 4 months in 2020 for free.

    • @stevenhicks3321
      @stevenhicks3321 Год назад +12

      zelda tears of the kingdom came out .. just saying..

    • @smolmemes2351
      @smolmemes2351 Год назад

      ah well at least most of us got the virus for free which was created in such labs

  • @Zveebo
    @Zveebo Год назад +1252

    £4k for two week in what looks likes a pretty comfortable environment really isn’t too bad at all, even if it does involve getting ill for a bit. And you’re doing your bit to help advance medical science 👍

    • @kakyoindonut3213
      @kakyoindonut3213 Год назад +117

      "isn't too bad at all"
      no it's too good actually

    • @slick.deuceman01
      @slick.deuceman01 Год назад +2

      how did you find out the figure for the compensation? I can't find the amount you'd get paid on the website anywhere

    • @leoshaw4675
      @leoshaw4675 Год назад +93

      I paused the video when it said 4 and signed up

    • @Miragexe
      @Miragexe Год назад +105

      @@slick.deuceman01 Literally in the video

    • @MartijnPennings
      @MartijnPennings Год назад +46

      Well, the thing is, there can be strong side effects to both viruses and vaccines. If one side effect is: one in a million will die, would you still take the money?

  • @soranuareane
    @soranuareane Год назад +66

    THANK YOU FOR DOING A VIDEO ON THIS!!! Voluntary trials like this are an immense asset to the medical industry for developing and testing vaccines. All vaccines must go through a similar process and these people are furthering our ability to develop and test vaccines.

    • @LHyoutube
      @LHyoutube Год назад +6

      @@TheStupidDetectiv - Yes, all vaccines. As he clearly said.

  • @anomonyous
    @anomonyous Год назад +242

    It's like people who give blood or plasma, but a little more extensive. Again, the world we live in today is what makes these things seem a bit icky. Being rewarded for doing something for the community isn't a bad thing. It's a noble pursuit, and it saves lives.

    • @Pysslis
      @Pysslis Год назад +9

      You don’t risk getting chronically ill from giving blood though.

    • @Heksu99
      @Heksu99 Год назад +1

      Yes, but the limit how often you are allowed is different from what is suggested

    • @bijou2
      @bijou2 Год назад +19

      Also, you don't get paid money for giving blood in the UK. What you get is a drink (squash/tea/coffee), and some crisps(chips) or biscuits(cookies)

    • @supxrkicks560
      @supxrkicks560 Год назад +9

      @@Pysslis the risk of *chronic* illness here is very, very low. it's as controlled an environment as it's going to get.

    • @LHyoutube
      @LHyoutube Год назад +5

      @@Pysslis - Nor do you in these studies either.

  • @retrojournalist
    @retrojournalist Год назад +363

    To all people who are part of this: you have my respect.

  • @StefandeJong1
    @StefandeJong1 Год назад +361

    I've volunteered for drug trials 4 times so far. Always super professional, super nice medical personnel - and the people you're staying with is generally a very good time as well. Kept a few friends from those trials.

    • @aspuzling
      @aspuzling Год назад +12

      Were you quarantined with other participants?

    • @StefandeJong1
      @StefandeJong1 Год назад +57

      @@aspuzling You couldn't leave as you were under evaluation every hour, but personnel was never in over the top PPE as we weren't dealing with viruses here, but testing side-effects of medication

    • @aspuzling
      @aspuzling Год назад +5

      @@StefandeJong1 ok, but were you able to speak to other participants, or staff only?

    • @ciclon5682
      @ciclon5682 Год назад +13

      @@aspuzling usually in tests like these you are not allowed to talk to other participants unless its needed for any reason. usually they try to track individual progress.

    • @joostfloot5279
      @joostfloot5279 Год назад

      Bij welke organisatie?

  • @MNNski
    @MNNski Год назад +79

    Not going to lie, I already work a dangerous job for less then what they pay these people. I'd definitely do this.

    • @tuckerbugeater
      @tuckerbugeater Год назад

      You can do for free when they release the next pandemic.

    • @jo5hua0680
      @jo5hua0680 6 месяцев назад +1

      Sorry if I’m being too curious, but now I am.
      What job?

    • @MNNski
      @MNNski 6 месяцев назад +1

      @@jo5hua0680 I work in an iron refinery.

  • @jamieabraham-brett2978
    @jamieabraham-brett2978 Год назад +23

    I did this exact same trial in London 10 years ago, easiest £3.5k I've ever made, loved it! Weirdest thing was having no daylight and nurses said all of our sleeping patterns had synced up over 10 days...

    • @shambhav9534
      @shambhav9534 10 месяцев назад +1

      Seems like the sleep patterns were the more fascinating study.

  • @OriginalG8trdan
    @OriginalG8trdan Год назад +754

    I'm Glad this is happening. We needed this research.

    • @Rosskles
      @Rosskles Год назад +41

      We've always needed this research and many people are alive today thanks to decades of this type of research.

    • @lockethomas7165
      @lockethomas7165 Год назад

      You maybe a little bit brainwashed son, just maybe.

    • @mythtree6348
      @mythtree6348 Год назад

      @@Rosskles i literally fell off my seat at your naivete .. oh dear. Please learn to use the internet and research stuff . :(

    • @jamesbellamy9328
      @jamesbellamy9328 Год назад +8

      @ Myth Tree Thanks for the tip, I do love researching “stuff”. Maybe I’ll start with Byzantine tax law, what do you reckon?

    • @LHyoutube
      @LHyoutube Год назад +8

      @@mythtree6348 - WTF are you talking about?! 😂

  • @waffles3629
    @waffles3629 Год назад +9

    Major props to the people who do medical trials. I never could, one look at my medical history would be automatic rejection. But I've been on so many meds for so many things that have greatly improved my life.

  • @HannaHasAPlan
    @HannaHasAPlan 10 месяцев назад +3

    My son suffered terribly when he was a baby and caught RSV. I appreciate everyone taking part in these vaccine trials - staff and participants 🙏🏻

  • @danawhite9823
    @danawhite9823 Год назад +362

    I love that Tom gets to travel the world, dropping knowledge for all of us.

    • @matthewbrotman2907
      @matthewbrotman2907 Год назад +27

      This one, of course, is probably like three Tube stops from his home 😆

    • @danawhite9823
      @danawhite9823 Год назад +10

      @@matthewbrotman2907 HA! He might be happy to be home for a few days, too!

  • @Eliska_Premyslovna
    @Eliska_Premyslovna Год назад +103

    I should have known about this when I wrote my thesis. Not being able to procrastinate by cleaning my entire apartment and cooking elaborate meals would be a big help.

    • @theninja4137
      @theninja4137 Год назад +15

      If you lucked out and didn't get ill/only mildly so yes.
      But you could also end up losing a week or two of time until the deadline

    • @Escap1st7
      @Escap1st7 10 месяцев назад

      @@theninja4137 eh, you'll be $4k well off either way

  • @sundaynightdrunk
    @sundaynightdrunk Год назад +14

    When I was a broke college student, I'd sign up for psychological trials done by students who would pay small amounts of money (like $25 in the late '80s) to give me a little walking around money, but £4000 is a lot of money, even today. I think I'd go for it if I was having a bit of trouble financially.

  • @VickiVampiressYT
    @VickiVampiressYT Год назад +7

    I'm always amazed at the amount of interesting people and things Tom manages to find after all the videos he's done over the years. I think I learned more about what kind of interesting things there are in the world from Tom Scott than I ever would have from school books.

  • @einCAA
    @einCAA Год назад +1536

    Can you join such a test, while also being a remote-worker?
    Being in quarantine while continuing to work "normally" is probably easier than being bored 24/7.

    • @dutchglobetrotter4513
      @dutchglobetrotter4513 Год назад +202

      Off course you can, Tom had a video call with that guy so there is his speed internet.

    • @Soul-Burn
      @Soul-Burn Год назад +624

      From their FAQs:
      "Volunteers are allowed electronic devices such as laptops and smart phones so you are able to stay in touch with your family member/friend throughout their stay."
      "Volunteers can bring almost anything to make their room feel more like home. Our team need space to carry out their work, so there’s not enough room for big items like TVs or desktop computers, but most things like laptops, iPad's and any small musical instruments are very welcome."
      They don't mention anything about remote working, neither for the positive or the negative.

    • @noelh9842
      @noelh9842 Год назад +129

      I would think so. You would only need to be supervised so I'm guessing as long as you are staying there you could do what you like.

    • @TheEvilMammal
      @TheEvilMammal Год назад +75

      probably best to contact a place that does something like this and ask.

    • @redfailhawk
      @redfailhawk Год назад +89

      I was looking into this--as long as your item needs for such work aren't excessive, the answer appears to be yes!

  • @Powpineapple_Studios
    @Powpineapple_Studios Год назад +406

    Drug trials are literally in my biology test tomorrow. Thx for the revision Tom

  • @koenven7012
    @koenven7012 Год назад +3

    I currently work in my company on such a challenge trial for Dengue. I only do data analysis, but it's very interesting to see how the participants in the trial live as I haven't seen that before. Thanks Tom for giving me a glimpse into the world my data comes from.

  • @plaguedoctor5097
    @plaguedoctor5097 Год назад +267

    Tutorial: how to call in sick for work for free.

    • @647Max
      @647Max Год назад +15

      U don’t have to be sick to call in sick 👽

    • @szhu25
      @szhu25 Год назад +10

      Company: You can still work remotely, no?

    • @Rosskles
      @Rosskles Год назад +11

      "And get paid for it"

    • @georgiykireev9678
      @georgiykireev9678 Год назад +9

      Tfw you calling in sick IS the job

    • @mohaa556
      @mohaa556 Год назад +11

      @@szhu25 I did actually thought about how effective it would be if I did that. Most of my work I do remotely anyways all I would need is a stable internet access and I could do my work, do some gaming after work and get paid 4-5k extra on top of my normal salary. Shame I don't live in the UK.

  • @justin.booth.
    @justin.booth. Год назад +100

    I applied for this and got past two rounds of screening but unfortunately already had antibodies for the virus being tested 😢

    • @ClockworkChainsaw
      @ClockworkChainsaw Год назад +49

      There's always the next virus!

    • @ThexMJT
      @ThexMJT Год назад +1

      Where did you find out about the trials?

    • @ChimeraX0401
      @ChimeraX0401 Год назад +1

      ​@@ThexMJTThey are announced by CDC (if it is a major one like the covid vaccine) or you can go to research universities and ask there if they will be doing medical trials....

  • @philipsullivan4885
    @philipsullivan4885 Год назад +1

    Thanks to those brave enough for this kind of work.

  • @bastiaan1150
    @bastiaan1150 Год назад

    Production quality in this episode in particular, but all your videos generally is incredibly high. Thanks Tom&Team!

  • @Angel-nb9st
    @Angel-nb9st Год назад +16

    thanks to them for their time and health for the rest of us to be safe

  • @kablovskisenior447
    @kablovskisenior447 Год назад +92

    Tom Scott makes a good point: plenty of other dangerous jobs exist, that don’t let you chill in a hotel with an Xbox all day long.
    We should let people make decisions about their jobs and what risks to take on themselves.

    • @BlastedUniqueIdentifiers
      @BlastedUniqueIdentifiers Год назад +25

      Not to mention, most of those jobs aren't as clear about being potentially dangerous.

    • @kimarna
      @kimarna Год назад +16

      And especially in America many people get truly awful or dangerous jobs cos it's the only way to get any access to basic healthcare

  • @j0nnyism
    @j0nnyism Год назад +7

    No way would I do this. These guys are very brave the idea of being intentionally infected is a terrifying idea for me

    • @ali_m_
      @ali_m_ 10 месяцев назад +1

      I would do this entirely for the cause of fowarding the cause of curing sicknesses, all that stuff provided is just a bonus.

  • @NoName-ik2du
    @NoName-ik2du Год назад +4

    As a person who has had doctors tell me something has "little to no risk" of long-term complications, followed by what turned out to be completely devastating complications, I can't possibly fathom doing something like this.
    The pay's not too stellar either... If they are quarantined for two weeks, £4,000 - £4,500 only works out to £11.90 - £13.39 per hour.

    • @NoName-ik2du
      @NoName-ik2du Год назад +4

      @Adam Gutierrez ​ You are working 24 hours a day. It literally consumes your entire life until it's over. A month doing this is the equivalent of four and a half normal work months of your time invested.

  • @camillechauve1352
    @camillechauve1352 Год назад +16

    Top Ten Tom Scott Titles

  • @Verdugo_Arulaq
    @Verdugo_Arulaq Год назад +64

    This is actually really interesting, as a kid this kind of thing always fascinated me, I wondered if it was possible and if so have we done it already.
    Little 12 year old me feels validated by Tom rn lmao

  • @arrjay2410
    @arrjay2410 Год назад +9

    I knew places like this exist, and not just in England. It's interesting to see the interior of one and get it's workings explained. I'm too old to risk this sort of thing now (not to mention a few health issues that go with age). Very interesting, good report.

  • @lifeintornadoalley
    @lifeintornadoalley Год назад +5

    My neighbor was a trial patient. Me being a good teen, on the weekends we'd go from buffalo NY to Ann arbor Michigan for neurology trials. It was very weird. They weren't themselves for a minute 😔.

  • @candiidoggii1360
    @candiidoggii1360 Год назад +13

    thank you for your service tom

  • @jama211
    @jama211 Год назад +4

    I could never but I'm so glad there are people that do

  • @skywatcher2025
    @skywatcher2025 Год назад

    I really appreciate the camera work in this one!

  • @Mushroomlover06
    @Mushroomlover06 9 месяцев назад +2

    Ong.. Tysm for being willing to risk ur life for us. U clinical trial people are the reason most of us are alive today. Real respect. ❤

  • @invisiblesteve9523
    @invisiblesteve9523 Год назад +5

    I love doing clinical trials for my eczema. Typical treatments haven't worked consistently, and I'm really into science, so it's interesting to see what's being tested for the market over the next few years. I've never done one on the inpatient level, but I wouldn't mind it. It's crazy to have something work well enough that it shows you what real quality of life is like (I also have some undiagnosed autoimmune disorder) and then go back to your 'normal' level of illness after the trial is up. Yay scientific innovation!

  • @Celtic_Amy
    @Celtic_Amy 10 месяцев назад +3

    I wasn't sick with something in June of 2019 and Fall of 2019. Then I wasn't sick at all between January 2020-October 2022. I got COVID19 mid November 2022 followed by what I believe to be RSV on December 22, 2022. The combination of the two really had me sick. I have a great immune system, but a lesser immune system would have put me in the hospital. Getting paid £4,000 and only have mild symptoms would be ideal for someone out of work and will save lives.

  • @lisak4928
    @lisak4928 Год назад

    I remember seeing ads for this all the time back when I still lived in England! So cool that its actually helping

  • @Ascertivus
    @Ascertivus Год назад +1

    A seemingly very noble cause. I have a lot of respect for those who participate.

  • @beaulynskey8470
    @beaulynskey8470 Год назад +4

    I remember when I was bed ridden after testing positive through a lateral flow test and contacting my tutor through email about my news, only to come back to uni the following week when my PCR test results came back negative. 🤒😊

  • @boopydoopy4506
    @boopydoopy4506 Год назад +8

    So glad that Tom is promoting these kinds of trials!

  • @dancoulson6579
    @dancoulson6579 Год назад +1

    I think it's a perfectly good idea. So long as the risks are made abundantly clear to the subject.
    If they're making an informed decision, then I see no ethical problem with it.

  • @Chalts64
    @Chalts64 Год назад +11

    If they wanted to reliably get people sick, they could have just put them in a room with three toddlers for 15 minutes instead of going to all the trouble of manufacturing the disease. They're hobbling little incubators

  • @DeeTofa
    @DeeTofa Год назад +6

    The biggest hack is working a remote job while getting paid to stay in the room. Also, I assume they pay for food so that's another plus.

  • @BreakyTime
    @BreakyTime 5 месяцев назад +2

    These volunteers are heroes

  • @brianpso
    @brianpso Год назад +1

    We have those here in NZ as well and I've made a lot of money from them! Our trials don't require the patient to receive the virus though, it's usually just a medication and then we're monitored for side effects and whatever else the study is trying to find. It's really good money, and there are quite some people who can work from home that enroll on these for some extra money. Australia is quite big on those as well, and you can even do them while being a tourist there!

  • @Ludix147
    @Ludix147 Год назад +25

    They did malaria challenge trials at my university a few years back, a few of my friends considered getting infected, but they didn't go through with it :D
    The next iteration was deemed less risky and compensation was lower.

    • @PrograError
      @PrograError Год назад +2

      well... risk and reward...

  • @HollowSun
    @HollowSun Год назад +5

    The idea of Tom not wearing his red t-shirt was so inconceivable to me that I glanced at the thumbnail and assumed some huge mistake had been made in colour correction

  • @verity3616
    @verity3616 Год назад +7

    This is a good-hearted video and nice to see such a respectful display of both the volunteer patient and laboratory side of things! Often the hands-on care folks are seen as heroes in medicine, but public health relies on data crunchers, pipettes, and articulate patients too. I don't mind if people do this for money (either videos or volunteer). Knowledge is _vital_ for improving outcomes and awareness increases participation!

  • @lydierayn
    @lydierayn Год назад

    mutially beneficial. Both in terms of capital and research. This is a perfect direction for our society. And im thankful for all researchers and atendees that are part of these trials

  • @aresef
    @aresef Год назад +32

    There’s a guy here in Baltimore who went viral (heh) for doing a dysentery challenge trial and tweeting through it.

  • @beybladetunada5697
    @beybladetunada5697 Год назад +10

    You have no Idea how many people would be down to spend quality time, even if sick, on a cozy room like this with a playstation and snacks and getting paid, hell I want to do it!

    • @MCSkyscraper-MCExoticEurasian
      @MCSkyscraper-MCExoticEurasian 11 месяцев назад

      Only issue for me is the unknown percentage of chance of getting physically ill, everything else is a pro.

  • @nicholasosullivan831
    @nicholasosullivan831 8 месяцев назад +1

    As someone who recently got RSV, I've had post-viral fatigue for weeks. I don't envy those people

  • @Shade00a00
    @Shade00a00 Год назад

    I love the color calibration you've done on the video, it looks so good/real

  • @hythonwolf4551
    @hythonwolf4551 Год назад +4

    Made me very happy to see him in the room i was quarantined in, for some reason 😂 Thanks for raising more awareness of this!

  • @davidrenton
    @davidrenton Год назад +10

    it would be wise to mention that sometimes these trials go wrong even if rare , there was a trial in the UK for TGN1412 in 2006 (a experimental leukaemia drug) at London’s Northwick Park Hospital, to quote
    "Within an hour of receiving the drug, six of the volunteers had been rushed to intensive care where they were fighting for their lives." with people suffering from multiple organ failure, 1 had to have his toes and parts of his fingers and feet amputated.
    Sure this is an outlier , but these trials are effectively using you as a Guinea pig

    • @djtwo2
      @djtwo2 Год назад +11

      But the protocols for testing new drugs have since been changed. For example, by starting off with very weak doses.

    • @28_futaba
      @28_futaba Год назад +1

      Very scary

    • @simhthmss
      @simhthmss Год назад +1

      I believe something similar happened with an anti inflamatory that swelled up people's brains. Even a low dose of something that turns out to be very dangerous for humans can mess you up. It's likely rare (and even more so now) but still something to consider. I am guessing that no study can say that they are 100% without risk of a serious adverse reaction.

  • @N0gtail
    @N0gtail Год назад

    I love the cinematography of this one!

  • @gmtom19
    @gmtom19 Год назад +4

    This is how literally every zombie movie starts.

  • @northstarjakobs
    @northstarjakobs Год назад +1

    I've always wondered how people were able to get the yearly flu shots out so quickly, so it's cool to know that this sort of research helps get those vaccines out faster. Thanks to the annual jab, I've only gotten a handful of cases of bad flu throughout my life, and only once have I required any kind of medical treatment for one (a lingering cough that I still had two months afterwards).

  • @atypicalpinetree4212
    @atypicalpinetree4212 Год назад +22

    Honestly being paid to play persona 5 for 2 weeks doesn't sound too bad

    • @MiseFreisin
      @MiseFreisin Год назад +2

      you get into the room, they close the door, you open the P5 box and inside is a PS1 copy of Rugrats in Paris

    • @flyerton99
      @flyerton99 Год назад +1

      @@MiseFreisin You're allowed to bring your own things if you'd like. So pick up a copy of a game you'd want before you enter. (If you're lucky to not get sick).

    • @MiseFreisin
      @MiseFreisin Год назад

      @@flyerton99 that's odd, you think, I'm sure I packed P5. maybe it's in one of the other boxes? you open them, one by one, refusing to believe your eyes. inside every single one of the two dozen game boxes is the same disc. PS1. Rugrats in Paris.

  • @ajfurnari2448
    @ajfurnari2448 Год назад +5

    Tom should have demanded a red scrubs top, for continuity.

  • @thatonekidonaboat1269
    @thatonekidonaboat1269 Год назад +2

    I did a mock for RSV clinical trials for my GCSE biology exam yesterday! Did very well on the actual paper today, so waiting for the results!

  • @katiemorison7969
    @katiemorison7969 11 месяцев назад

    I looked into signing up to this exact place years ago, but my health issues made me ineligable before I even signed up.
    Cool to see it proper!

  • @squidsbizarreadventure
    @squidsbizarreadventure Год назад +5

    Wait the blue really makes Tom's eyes pop

  • @velily1
    @velily1 Год назад +4

    Nooo Tom I was trying to keep this magic money trick a secret and now millions of people are gonna know and I’m probably never gonna get picked 😭

    • @RobertShippey
      @RobertShippey Год назад +1

      I think they have to be very selective, most people aren’t eligible for some reason or another. You’ll probably still get picked if you’re eligible.

  • @amberbydreamsart5467
    @amberbydreamsart5467 Год назад

    Honestly, I'm a relatively healthy person working contract jobs that I sometimes have 1-4 months between work, this is something that could cover those gaps while still giving me time to myself between gigs... I might start looking into getting on lists for this.

  • @DannyPalmerMusic0
    @DannyPalmerMusic0 Год назад

    No brainer for me if you're young, healthy and have a flexible working situation. I applied for a COVID test trial last year but was rejected because I had recently had the virus. Will be looking into it again soon though when my schedule allows me to spend a couple of weeks in quarantine.

  • @ay7828
    @ay7828 Год назад +3

    This would make a perfect post-apocaliptic video game/movie scenario.

  • @Pyrozoid
    @Pyrozoid Год назад +11

    Tom showing the proper way to clean your hands with soap. Good on ya tom

  • @vidhoard
    @vidhoard Год назад

    Absolutely fascinating!

  • @TheAlison1456
    @TheAlison1456 Год назад

    5:50 that illustration is really awesome

  • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
    @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Год назад +10

    Since the participants in the studies are living in relative isolation for a relatively significant time, I'd be interested to know if there's any noted mental effects. Have there been psychological studies on these volunteers?

  • @mevanjooo2475
    @mevanjooo2475 Год назад +22

    I did this in a waiting semester while in uni. Ijust made music all day and played apex. And i got paid for it to. Such a cool thing to do if your able, cause you can be lazy for the greater good.

  • @scottd9448
    @scottd9448 Год назад +1

    I thought about doing one of these a long time ago when I was unemployed for a short time. I thought about it for a while & then found about the trial I was looking at (TGN1412 trial at Northwick Park Hospital in 2006). It was local to me at the time & it didn't go well. Very glad I missed it.

    • @28_futaba
      @28_futaba Год назад +1

      Omg I'm glad you didn't go!

    • @scottd9448
      @scottd9448 Год назад

      @@28_futaba so am I.

  • @jxh02
    @jxh02 Год назад +1

    The tag-line, Spread The Word, is genius.

  • @gameeverything816
    @gameeverything816 Год назад +6

    What I want to know is if in the history of this place has anyone ever died or became seriously ill?

  • @carlbutcher2268
    @carlbutcher2268 Год назад +3

    Used to have a work colleague who would use his paid holiday to do this.
    Tried it myself, but they're very stringent about the kinds of test subjects they'll take. Everyone has to conform to a very specific body type to reduce test variables, and while I meet the criteria for being a white male of approximately average height, their pre-screening tests are also how I found out I have cholesterol issues that exempt me from this. 😅

  • @driverm4544
    @driverm4544 Год назад

    I used to do this myself, and the payouts were quite handsome. Made for great kickbacks during uni, and you weren't given anything that they couldn't actively cure. My trials were around some more serious infections, like Malaria, but there were different stages of trial, from just seeing if a vaccine would theoretically work, to themln putting it to a challenge. While we were paid for our time, you did conveniently get more cash if you were part of an infection trial. My "see if the vaccine can theoretically work" was $4500, but if you were brave and wanted to go to the next stage, you got $9000

    • @markylon
      @markylon Год назад +1

      When Rob Oldfield signed up for a drugs trial at Northwick Park Hospital in 2006, he thought he had found a way to earn some easy money, and do his bit for medical science. But the trial went disastrously wrong, leaving him and five other healthy men fighting for their lives.

  • @Sideswipe021
    @Sideswipe021 Год назад

    So crazy that this is literally local to me. I remember them asking people to volunteer during the beginning of the pandemic

  • @kora8063
    @kora8063 Год назад +40

    Looking at the advertisements, it feels to me like it isn't easy to find people for this, and I can see why, since being locked in a single room for an unspecified time doesn't sound very fun. And you would lose contact with people and wouldn't even be able to go out for a walk...

    • @Jehty21
      @Jehty21 Год назад +13

      It seems like Tom did a poor job in this video.
      Sure, being in a room for two weeks isn't great, but that's not the main part which should worry you.
      You get infected with a virus and a new medication.
      That's the part that should worry you. Maybe even scare you.

    • @tarsiere7308
      @tarsiere7308 Год назад +18

      it's 2023, most people already live like this for no money.

    • @moffat5439
      @moffat5439 Год назад +16

      as an introvert, I see this as an absolute win

    • @nicolescats2
      @nicolescats2 Год назад +5

      It might be easier to get volunteers nowadays than it used to be. Thanks to the Internet, it's easy to interact with others without having to meet them in person. Plus, a scheduled video call with a friend is just more fulfilling than a scheduled phone call. It's still not fun to be stuck in a room, but it's less lonely than it used to be.

    • @fitybux4664
      @fitybux4664 Год назад +1

      "you would lose contact with people"

  • @a007j007
    @a007j007 Год назад +16

    Very interesting. I'd have liked to know what they do in the event of a fire or some evactuation-causing emergency. Do a bunch of infected people just file out onto the street?

    • @Sakkura1
      @Sakkura1 Год назад

      Bear in mind this virus isn't really dangerous. The main reason for the quarantine is to ensure the subjects are only infected with that one particular virus and at the right exposure level, to get good data. So if they have to be evacuated due to a fire, that'll mess up weeks worth of experiments, but it isn't going to spread anything dangerous to the rest of the world.

    • @jordanrodrigues1279
      @jordanrodrigues1279 Год назад +20

      The viruses they work with are quite safe and very common, so the public health impact of an evacuation would be like a bunch of school-kids going outside for recess. Quarantine procedures are part of the study - separating participants means that it's possible to control the amount of infectious material they are exposed to. So something like a credible bomb threat would ruin the study.
      The fire plan is probably defend-in-place. A "toaster oven fire spreads to coffee-supply cabinet" scenario is handled by closing doors, letting the sprinklers run, and evacuating people who would be affected by heat or smoke. This requires strict building standards and staff training, but it's quite common in health care since moving patients can be dangerous.

    • @ciclon5682
      @ciclon5682 Год назад +9

      considering the viruses they use are very diluted and weak. i think that in the case of a life threatening emergency. they would risk it and evacuate anyways.

    • @LHyoutube
      @LHyoutube Год назад +4

      Yes, of course they do. As someone else already explained, the diseases involved are minor and already very common in the outside population. The worst that would happen from people having to evacuate is possibly compromising the study therefore the results from those particular participants needing to be discarded.

  • @Voball
    @Voball Год назад

    A while ago you asked for some ideas for videos, I got one.
    In Pargue's Klárov there is a park that is a home to smaller models to 7 buildings from later half of the last century, along QR codes to pages about those buildings

  • @ashleyjones4955
    @ashleyjones4955 Год назад

    I did this trial in 2021 and was told I had the worst symptoms from the virus they had seen at flucamp but the staff were great and friendly.. I wouldn’t do it again but if someone else wanted to do it I wouldn’t begrudge them for doing so

  • @jamesangel140
    @jamesangel140 Год назад +3

    I did this!
    It was really east very comfortable.
    Just played ps4 for 2 weeks with mates, didnt even get ill at all.
    Would definitely do it again