Category: Science

So now, 2020 qualifies as history. A history exhibit on the story behind the COVID-19 vaccines touches a bit close to my heart. I did volunteer for the AstraZeneca vaccine trial (and while they were reviewing exclusion criteria … in November of 2019 – there was one for “any experimental treatment for COVID.” I had volunteered for a hydroxychloroquine versus placebo study for protection of health care providers earlier in May 2019. I scoffed, “that stuff clearly didn’t work – and I bet they’ll tell you I got placebo.” They called the national PI. I was excluded. And about 4 weeks later I got the Pfizer vaccine. Given a lot of people (including health care workers younger than me) had died – it was an immense relief. I got the second dose in January of 2020. I then shivered uncontrollably watching Ohio State lose to Alabama from my driveway with friends. I then went on to shiver nearly uncontrollably for the next 24 hours (realizing it was my immune system’s response.) This represented such an advance (getting a vaccine into human trials so quickly – with prior foundational work on mRNA having already been done.) It saddens me that so many have lost trust in science and when something like this happens again – it probably won’t go as well.