After Jonathan Finn participated in a Wareham-based clinical trial for Pfizer’s new Lyme disease vaccine, he received a bag of potato chips as a “prize” from the nurse. Finn was happy to receive the chips, but that wasn’t the only reason he got the shot. 

“It’s needed,” Finn, of Sandwich, said about the vaccine. “I know a lot of people that have been impacted by Lyme and tick-borne illness. Someone’s gotta do this, so why not me?”

Care Access, a research group seeking to make clinical trials available to people from underrepresented communities, conducted the trial. Wednesday, Nov. 2 was the first day of the trial, performed in an office on 40 Church Avenue. Care Access is conducting trials of the VLA15 vaccine throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Pennsylvania on behalf of Pfizer and its partner company, Valneva. People from across Cape Cod, some driving 50 minutes, came to receive it.

“I’m kind of surprised at how far people have been willing to come,” said Care Access Vice President Alex Eastman. “Everybody knows somebody that has had Lyme disease, or had it themselves.” 

Eastman said that Care Access chose Wareham for the trial because it is a place where Lyme disease is common and clinical trials are rare. Most clinical trials happen in big cities, not smaller towns like Wareham. 

“The community here is a community that will really benefit from a Lyme vaccine,” Eastman said. “We want the people who will benefit from these vaccines to be able to play a part in them.”

VLA15 is the only Lyme disease vaccine in clinical development and the first Lyme vaccine to be developed in 20 years. The vaccine is currently in stage three, as scientists from Pfizer and Valneva study its effectiveness in the general public. Phase one made sure that the dosage of the vaccine was safe, while phase two tested the safety of the vaccine itself.

“It’s already known to be safe,” Eastman said. 

After trial participants sign an informed consent form, they will be randomly placed into one of two groups. One group will get the vaccine, and the other half will receive a placebo. For the next three years, both groups will attend regular check-ups to measure their resistance to Lyme disease. 

“I think some people are going to hesitate to participate,” Eastman said. “That’s natural, and that’s okay. We’re going to offer it to people that are excited about it, and give them the opportunity.”

Dolores Shea, of Plymouth, found out about the vaccine trial from an ad on her bulldog’s Instagram page.

“I live in an area where there’s a lot of ticks,” said Shea, whose father and sister both have had Lyme disease. “I seem to be a tick magnet. I’m always finding them on me in the yard.”

One of the ticks on her tested positive for Lyme disease. She was asymptomatic, but had to take antibiotics. Shea lets her chihuahuas sleep in the same bed as her, which makes her especially wary of ticks.

“I give them Nexgard for ticks,” she said. “Us people don’t have any protection. I have high hopes that this vaccine will make me sleep a little better at night, if it works.” 

Rates of Lyme disease have increased around the world, which Eastman attributes to climate change. Longer warm seasons mean that ticks are present for more and more of the year.

Finn said that he got his shot “for the sake of mankind.”

“Or at least,” he said. “for the sake of everybody in the area.”

Most people over age 5 can participate in the trial, except for those who have been bitten by a tick in the past few weeks or have received the now-discontinued LYMERix Lyme disease vaccine.

Care Access is currently enrolling trial participants for the next few months. To register, visit helpstoplyme.com