MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The University of Miami Health System has joined the race to find a coronavirus vaccine.

Dr. Maria Alcaide, the director of infectious diseases research at the University of Miami Health System, spoke with CBS4's Lauren Pastrana and Eliott Rodriguez about what they are looking for during this critical clinical trials period.

Q: The University of Miami Health System is a site for the Moderna vaccine clinical trial. Now, perhaps some of our viewers watching right now want to be part of that trial. So how many people are you looking for and who would qualify?

A: We are looking for 1,000 people in Miami. This a vaccine trial that has shown to be safe and has been able to show antibody responses in those who have received that vaccine. We're looking for 1,000 participants in Miami, and those are adults.

Q: Well, people watching this would be asking themselves, are volunteers compensated? What motivates them to do this? And how would you convince someone out there thinking about becoming a volunteer to do it?

A: I'll tell you, we've already had hundreds of volunteers. And I think really the big motivation is to be able to help perhaps themselves if the vaccine is effective, but mainly others once we get the results. This virus is very aggressive virus and I think we have we are learning that vaccine will be one of the only and the best ways to be able to prevent future infections. Participants will be compensated monetarily, but I think really main… this is really a gift to science to be able to participate in these in these trials.

Q: Obviously, the overall success is a vaccine that works and that could help curb the spread of COVID-19. But particularly here at the trial phase, what are the success benchmarks that researchers are looking for?

A: So, so far we know that the vaccine is safe, meaning it doesn't have any use side effects. And we also know that it's been able to produce antibodies in those who have received the vaccine. That means that there is a potential that those antibodies will be able to fight future infections. When we do the trial, we will actually be looking not only at the development of antibodies, but also we'll be looking at how many participants become infected after getting the vaccine.

Q: Doctor, there's also a shortage currently of convalescent plasma. First of all, can you explain what is convalescent plasma and why is it so critical?

A: So convalescent plasma is like a transfusion. Convalescent plasma is the part of the blood that does not have cells and it contains antibodies. Somebody who has recovered from COVID-19 has developed those antibodies. Those antibodies are in the plasma =, and when infused with somebody who's infected with severe COVID have shown that they need to be beneficial in curing the infection. Right now, we've done a convalescent plasma in Florida and all over the country. It has been used for other infections in the past. There is a shortage of donors in Florida and really I invited everybody who has been infected with COVID to think about the possibility of becoming a convalescent plasma.

Q: Florida is a hotbed for this pandemic. Some are calling it the epicenter of it right now, specifically here in South Florida. What do you think we're doing wrong? What are we not doing that other states have done to be able to flatten the curve?

A: Well, I think the virus came to Florida a little bit later than other states. I think we were very strict at the beginning. And we have used a lot of what we call behavioral issues – trying to stay away from people, masks and washing hands, and in addition to closures. Right now, the state has opened and we see people around and we see that it's hard to prevent the transmission from new infection. That's why it's so crucial to have another way of preventing that with the vaccine. If we have an effective vaccine, some of the measures that we are using right now will not be needed. Right now, we are the epicenter, and we really, really need to stop the spread of this virus in our community.

If you have recovered from COVID-19 and are interested in donating plasma, click here.

To volunteer for the clinical trials, click here.