Sophia Upshaw was one of two Black participants in Moderna's first 45-person COVID-19 vaccination trial.
ABC News’ Bob Woodruff reports on concerns about not enough diversity in volunteers participating in phase three clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines.
As her hometown of Atlanta was being hit hard by the virus, Upshaw decided to participate in Moderna's first vaccination trial at Emory University on March 16. As a Ph.D. student of biomedical engineering there, she was excited to be a part of scientific history. As a scientist, Upshaw knew the importance of vaccines to create preventative health measures, but as a Black woman, it held personal importance. Black Americans continue to fight two pandemics — racism and COVID-19 — but the race toward a vaccine connects them. While COVID-19 decimates the Black community, the nation's history of non-consensual medical experimentation on Black Americans has instilled wide mistrust of the vaccine.
These historical injustices inspired massive reform in the medical industry today, including implementing safety regulations and mandatory ethical reviews of scientific studies. Initially, Upshaw admitted she was scared and her family thought she was “insane” for participating in the trial. But her fears subsided as she only experienced common vaccine symptoms, including muscle soreness, fatigue and a slight fever that lasted two to three days. The entire process took about two hours of her day and she had follow-up doctor appointments to monitor her response. Since then, she's tested negative for coronavirus and developed COVID-19 antibodies.
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