In March 2020, while most of the world was in quarantine, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance commercial audit representative James Kowalik was feeling inspired. Watching the pandemic unfold and listening to the news, he began hearing about the COVID-19 vaccine trials. It didn’t take long for him to decide he wanted to be part of the solution.
“In my mind, it was more of a question of, ‘Why not?’” he says. “This seemed like a way that I could help people.”
After researching the various trials, Kowalik decided to participate in Moderna’s. He applied to one in Cincinnati. After a lengthy application and health screening, he was accepted.
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial was a double-blind study that consisted of 30,000 participants throughout the U.S. who received two injections each. There was a 50-50 chance that participants would receive the Moderna vaccine or a placebo.
See more: IFBI: A Pandemic Year in Review
Kowalik received his first dose of the vaccine on Aug. 5, 2020. He was not told if he’d received the vaccine or the placebo. However, he suspected he had received the vaccine.
“When I received the first injection, I was suspicious of my own feeling, because you don’t know if you got the real thing or not,” Kowalik says. “I noticed arm pain and fatigue and headache within an hour. My arm was swelling – you could see a little bit of a red spot.”
Following the first injection, Kowalik recorded how he felt each day for the following week on a smartphone app. He also had access to a 24/7 hotline if any issues or concerns arose.
The next “jab,” as Kowalik calls it, was on Sept. 2, 2020. At a follow-up appointment in January 2021, he learned he had indeed received the vaccine. He now enjoys slowly returning to a more normal lifestyle.
Kowalik is glad he did his part in the fight against COVID-19. He saw the trial as an opportunity to help and he encourages others to help make an impact, too.
“Volunteering is so rewarding – no matter how you give back, it is worth it,” he says.
Story by Samantha Andersen, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance content writer and publisher
