Pictured are the “vaccine ambassadors” of Clermont County from left: Emily Chesnut, Evan Chesnut, M.E. Steele-Pierce, and George Brown, seen here at Valley View in Milford on Dec. 13, 2020. Photo provided.
Pictured is the first person to get dosed in the Moderna trial at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Jarelle Marshall, of Cincinnati. Photo provided.
By Brett Milam
Editor
Clermont County’s own “vaccine ambassadors” are stepping up to tell their story of participating in the Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine trials, as the vaccines begin rolling out.
All three have been service-minded, volunteer individuals in the community cumulatively for decades, and all three talked individually to
Dr. Stephen Feagins, chief clinical officer, Mercy Health–Cincinnati.
Dr. Robert Frenck, principal investigator of the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit, director of Gamble Vaccine Research Center. He s leading the COVID-19 vaccine trials at Cincinnati Children s Hospital Medical Center.
Dr. Thomas Lamarre, infectious disease specialist, The Christ Hospital.
Here s what we asked, and how they responded:
If you or a friend or colleague or family member had COVID-19 already, would you get or tell
them to get the vaccine anyway?
Blatt:
Yes. I would recommend that anyone who has already had COVID infection get a vaccine. The reason is that natural infection immunity seems to wear out after two to three months. We are hoping that the vaccine will provide longer lasting immunity. So far, the antibody responses to the vaccine seem to last longer than the antibody responses to natural infection.