Covering Ebola Didn’t Prepare Me for This: I Volunteered for the Covid-19 Vaccine Trial

WASHINGTON — The unfamiliar voice on my cellphone three weeks ago had the “You have been selected” greeting that usually signals someone trying to sell you something. But this was no telemarketer.

I had been chosen, the woman said, “to participate in the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine trial.” She introduced herself as Hira Qadir, a clinical research coordinator at George Washington University. I was tediously stirring a roux for the seafood gumbo I was making for dinner, and her startling announcement stopped me cold.

In an instant, a dozen emotions ran through me, chief among them fear.

In late July, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, had testified before Congress that volunteers were needed for vaccine trials that were continuing. I had gone to the website — www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org — and filled out the questionnaire with my medical history and personal information.

“I signed up for a Covid vaccine trial,” I texted a group of friends, all reporters with smart mouths on them. But one response gave me pause.