UPMC clinical research nurse tries to debunk vaccine myths
Clinical research nurse Lalicia Roman joined UPMC’s vaccination research team in May — during a peak in the coronavirus pandemic, which has left thousands dead and a nation shaken by grief — to do work she deems a “calling.”
Ms. Roman, 48, a wife and mother of three, said it’s important to debunk vaccination myths based on her expertise in working directly with clinical trial patients who volunteered to take the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which essentially provides DNA instructions to the human body on how to build the proteins needed to fight the coronavirus, she said.
Researchers at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh last summer began recruiting people to join clinical vaccine trials, and Ms. Roman played a crucial, direct role inworking with volunteer patients.
“A lot of people say they don’t want to get the vaccine, but it’s not giving you the virus, it’s giving your body a way to fight the virus,” Ms. Roman said. “I’ve heard people say that this vaccine would turn you into a mutant, that doctors are trying to give it to you so they can control you, and that it’s the mark of the beast.
“I just tune out people’s conspiracies. People say the virus isn’t as bad as doctors say it is, and others say it’s a money ploy and that they made it too fast.
“But the science has always been there, as scientists had already been studying this prior to the pandemic. It’s just that they didn’t have the money to further it along. But you can go back and look at what people have been doing. So this is not necessarily new science, but it is new in the application of COVID-19.”
Vaccines typically require years of research and testing before reaching the clinical stage, but last year, scientists embarked on a race to produce safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines in record time, according to The New York Times.
Researchers are testing 70 vaccines in clinical trials on humans, and 20 have reached the final stages of testing. At least 89 preclinical vaccines are under active investigation in animals, the
Times reported.
The world’s two leading vaccines, manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, have been approved in several countries and are available for emergency use in the U.S., the U.K., the European Union and other countries. Both have above a 90% efficacy rate, according to experts.
The racial makeup of people who have been vaccinated at this point has not been tracked well in Pennsylvania. Despite minimal data gathered by UPMC and others, numbers released by the state nevertheless show what could be troubling racial disparities in Pennsylvania’s vaccination effort.
The Black population in particular has been hit hard, with African Americans two to three times more likely to die from the disease, national figures show. Transportation to clinics and access to the internet are often roadblocks.
It is because of these facts that Ms. Roman said she had found purpose in educating people about vaccinations. The importance of having additional Black medical professionals is crucial to ensure minority patients feel more comfortable asking questions and seeking help.
“When I began on the vaccination research team, I wanted to be able to do something for COVID-19 victims,” Ms. Roman said. “Research really hasn’t had a good look for Black people. I figured that me being Black might make it more acceptable.
“When I used to do floor nursing, people would ask me questions because I was more relatable to them. And it’s been the same thing with research. Doctors would come in and read consent forms, and patients wouldn’t say much. Then I come in, and there are a thousand questions.”
Ms. Roman said she took a first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Christmas Eve, then the second, final dose 28 days later.
“I understand people’s hesitation, because I was very nervous,” she said. “I had to pray and consult all of my circles and talk to my husband and children, then I went back and read more literature. It was not an easy decision, and even after I got it, I only told my close family members at first.
“I knew it was so important to let people know that I didn’t grow a tail after taking it. I am very lucky, because I only had a sore arm, and it was worse with the second dose. Because I got vaccinated, my mother got vaccinated. She got the Pfizer vaccine, and she only got a sore arm.”
Ms. Roman said it’s true that most people who contract COVID-19 will recover, but there sometimes is a price to pay in that recovery. Some people have lingering side effects, including fatigue, a racing heart and depression, while others never regain their sense of smell, Ms.Roman said.
“To me, that makes the vaccine worth it,” she said. “Major athletes who take great care of themselves are still dying from this disease, but a lot of people don’t take that seriously, but they really should. I know it’s scary, because this feels like a new technology in terms of introducing this to our bodies. But I don’t want to bring this virus home to my husband or my children.
“Children are dying. This is not a game. I’ve heard a lot of people make jokes about it, and maybe that’s a coping mechanism. But people should really look past the conspiracy theories. I would encourage people to look at this with open eyes and to talk to as many people about it as possible.
“Talk to your physicians and gather as much info as you can, and when you’ve done all of that, then make a decision.”