CINCINNATI — In August, the University of Cincinnati began its Moderna vaccine trial at Holmes Hospital. Cristina Morgan was one of 185 participants chosen for the trial. Morgan shared her thoughts on the vaccine and her experience.

Morgan’s mother was initially skeptical about her participating in the 25-month vaccine trial.

“Her first reaction was like, ‘What are you doing?” said Morgan. “What is going to happen to you are you? Are you going to catch it? Are they going to inject you with the virus? Are you going to get sick?”

University of Cincinnati Clinical Research Coordinator Shaina Horner helped put her mind at ease.

“We need to know that this vaccine works for everybody and we also want to make sure that communities that have been significantly impacted by COVID like the Black and LatinX community have the opportunity to be a part of the solution,” said Horner.

It was Horner who Morgan said helped her mother get over her fears of the vaccine. Morgan and her mother and father are now all a part of the trial.

“She has answered every question I’ve had,” she said.  “She has answered every question that my mom and dad have had and everything has been quick, it has been nice, and we just get all the information directly from the team who are working on this.”

In January, she received her first dose of the vaccine. Morgan is among the 20 percent of Latin participants in the trial.

“I was perfectly fine that day, but the following day when I woke up my arm was sore and I had about one hour with a fever — a little fever,” she said. “But then I took a nap and then it went all away.

A couple weeks later, the unexpected happened, Morgan contracted COVID-19. It was then that she said she was grateful to have received first dose of the vaccine. 

“I got my first shot and then I got infected and it lasted two days with just a little bit of congestion,” she said. “If it could be like this for everyone, that would be amazing.”

Morgan recently received her second vaccine shot and is hopeful about her fight against the virus. She hopes her story will help debunk the conspiracy theories and show that the vaccine truly does save lives. 

“There’s no basis on what they’re saying,” she said. “There are no facts behind what these people say. So trust the doctors, trust the people who know who are working on these studies, and get the vaccine.”