Seattle woman who participated in early Moderna vaccine trial is ‘optimistic’
Nov 17, 2020, 5:07 PM | Updated: Oct 2, 2024, 9:05 pm
A pharmacist gives Jennifer Haller the first shot in the first-stage safety study clinical trial of a potential vaccine for COVID-19 in March in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Moderna announced this week that early data for its vaccine has shown to be 95% effective.
A Seattle woman, Jennifer Haller, was the first person in the United States to participate in a COVID vaccine trial, receiving two doses of Moderna’s vaccine back in March as part of the Phase 1 trial.
“To wake up and to hear that it was almost 95% effective, was just — was amazing,” she said.
Since Haller was part of the first phase of the vaccine meant to test safety, she only got 25 micrograms of the vaccine. Everyone in the Phase 3 trial — the one that has been deemed very effective — got 100 micrograms.
Haller told KIRO Radio on Monday that she was already feeling optimistic last week after Pfizer announced that its own vaccine was testing 90% effective, and she’s feeling even more confident now.
“Last week, when the Pfizer information came out saying that they were 90% effective, I thought that was quite amazing and bold,” she said. “And, you know, I was hopeful that the Moderna vaccine might show similar efficacy.”
“There’s been surveys done saying that only half of this country would accept a vaccine,” she added. “I’m very optimistic that people will come around and will see that this vaccine is safe and effective.”
Ballard woman ‘feels great’ nearly 4 months into COVID-19 vaccine trial
Haller says she still hasn’t seen any negative side effects, other than her arm being sore after getting the vaccine shot.
KIRO Radio’s Alec Downing contributed to this report.
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