Vijay Sikand

And I found out at the end of that meal, after that meeting, that the vaccine was withdrawn.

Here's something that I had invested many years of my life into.

I'd given up my private practice.

I really had devoted many years of my life to not only doing the study, but doing it well.

And you wanted to do something in a way that you knew you could hang your hat on it.

You knew at the end of the day it wasn't just because you're checking off boxes and, yeah, this patient had this blood test.

No, it was your life.

We lost a very valuable person.

that came into existence because of incredibly complicated and careful science which had been conducted over years by truly, truly dedicated, brilliant scientists with all stripes.

We had microbiologists, immunologists,

regular family docs with all kinds of people, people in the lab creating the vaccine.

We had people who were putting together the data for us or opening the FedEx packages or there are just thousands and thousands of people who devoted untold hours to to this vaccine coming into being.

And we knew it was safe.

We knew it was effective.

We knew it worked.

And yet this had happened.

I wouldn't want to bring out a new vaccine this year with the current administration in terms of vaccine acceptance.

Is it worth it?

Even years later, I can say, even way after the study's ended, I'll meet people on the street who will say, wow, those were the days we remember, they call it the Lyme study.