ST. LOUIS (AP) — Guests can get paid $3,500 to stay at a St. Louis hotel for up to 12 days with catered meals.
There's just one catch. They have to sign up to be exposed to the flu virus.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a research unit at St. Louis University is testing the effectiveness of flu vaccines by paying volunteers to stay at its Salus Center. Participants will be given a flu shot or a placebo, and then receive a dose of a flu virus through nasal spray.
The volunteers will then be observed for flu symptoms, such as fever, runny nose, sneezing or coughing. The university spent about $350,000 to convert 24 hotel rooms into a quarantined medical unit.
The Extended Stay Research Unit expects to welcome its first guests within the next year.
