A Black woman from North Carolina is being praised as one of the scientists instrumental in developing the Moderna coronavirus vaccine.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, originally from Hillsborough and a graduate of UNC, is the National Institute of Health's lead scientist for coronavirus vaccine research and was one of the team leads for the institute's vaccine research center that developed the vaccine.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, was among those praising Corbett and her team at a recent event hosted by the National Urban League. He also spoke on the history of racism in medical research and how it has led to trust issues within some in the Black community.
While Corbett and others understand the complicated history of vaccines, she wants the community to know that they can trust this process.
"I would say to people who are vaccine-hesitant that you've earned the right to ask questions that you have around these vaccines and this vaccine development process," she said on the CNN podcast "Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction."
She said that trust has to be rebuilt, and she will do her part in rebuilding. As for the Moderna vaccine, she is confident in her team's work.
"I want to make it clear that the work that we have been doing for so long, I personally stand by it, essentially with all of my being," she said.
A Food and Drug Administration committee determined the Moderna vaccine to be safe and highly effective at preventing COVID-19. The vaccine could be granted an emergency use authorization by the end of the week, joining the newly-approved Pfizer vaccine.
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