‘I just want to be a part of the solution’
Volunteer willing to help
Boston resident Anthony Shivers is helping to solve the world’s biggest problem — he’s getting the scientific community one step closer to developing a coronavirus vaccine by plunging into Moderna’s trial without hesitation.
“We can’t wait, we have to engage. The coronavirus isn’t waiting on us so we really have to engage and be involved,” said Shivers.
When the shutdown hit in the spring, Shivers said he worried about his own health and the health of those around him, so he took to the internet to find a clinical trial and signed up for the Moderna study taking place at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“I think I was more nervous about catching the virus and dying from the virus than I was about the vaccine,” said Shivers, who rolled up his sleeve twice within a month to get two injections.
“Side effects, I’m alright with that. But catching the coronavirus and then passing away, I’m not alright with that,” said Shivers, adding that he has pre-existing conditions that put him at increased risk.
He is one of several hundred trial participants at the Brigham and one of 30,000 across the nation who are taking part in the Moderna mRNA vaccine trial, which has showed promising immune responses in earlier phases.
Enrollment at the Brigham site will be wrapping up this month.
Shivers and his doctors don’t know if he got the vaccine or a placebo, as it is a double blind study, and Shivers said he hasn’t experienced any side effects since he got the doses a couple months ago except slight fatigue.
“I feel great,” he said. Shivers uses an app to track his temperature and daily symptoms and still regularly visits the Brigham for a wellness check, a process that will continue for two years. “I just want to be part of the solution,” said Shivers, adding, “Particularly my community, the Black community, the Hispanic community really have to embrace this and really get involved because we are the ones being disproportionately affected.”
Shivers, who has not had COVID-19, said he felt happy to get the shot, saying the experience was even better than that of getting a flu shot.
Still, he is anxious to know whether or not it was a placebo — an answer he won’t get for quite awhile to maintain the integrity of the trial.
Although many people may be reluctant to get a coronavirus shot, Shivers said he recommends the process to everybody, “It’s really important we all come together.”