March 8th marked International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating women's achievements and the fight for gender equity. While this day has passed COVID-19 is still here, so we want to highlight the three women below who have made significant contributions to vaccine research. Their work is crucial for our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic today.
Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, a 35-year-old African American viral immunologist is the lead scientist on the team that developed the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. She was able to design the vaccine within two days of the novel coronavirus being discovered.
Sandra Lindsay, originally from Jamaica, was the first person in the United States to get the Covid-19 vaccine outside of a trial on Dec. 14 in Queens, New York. Her brave efforts launched the current vaccine effort to eradicate Covid-19 in the United States.
Loney Clinton Gordon discovered a bacteria culture with sufficient virulence to make a vaccine against Whooping cough. The strain isolated by Gordon was used by researchers to create a more protective vaccine than any in existence at the time.
—Joyce Butts, contributor
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