The Why: Philly Explained

While surveys have found many Americans — particularly Black Americans — are wary of getting a COVID-19 vaccine if one were to become available soon, New Jersey public health doctor Chris Pernell has jumped in feet first, signing up as a subject for a Phase III clinical vaccine trial at Rutgers University. She says it’s important for Black people like her to be included in clinical trials to ensure the results reflect the general population, and because Black Americans have been hit the hardest by the virus. But her decision to enroll was also personal: a tribute to her scientist father who died of COVID-19.