‘It’s OK to take the vaccine’: Head of the nursing group entered trial to alleviate fears
HELEN MAMO
In high school, Dr. Ernest Grant never thought that one day he would hold an important position at one of the country’s top burn centers, or participate in a vaccine trial in the middle of a historic pandemic.
“I tell people my life’s dream was to be an anesthesiologist and drive a lime green 1968 Mercury Cougar,” Grant said in an interview with The News & Observer. “If you saw the car you’d understand why.”
But after graduation, he entered a nursing program at Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College, and a new path opened for him. He found helping people to be fulfilling.
This fall, Grant, a former coordinator for the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center at UNC and the current president of the American Nurses Association, participated in COVID-19 vaccine phase three clinical trials hosted by University of North Carolina researchers.
Grant, an RN, and Ph.D. who lives in Chapel Hill, signed up for the trial to show solidarity.............
