The trial tests the safety and efficacy of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in 2,000 children across the country between the ages of 12 and 15.
Sophie Holland is one of about 100 children enrolled in the study through Duke.
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The 12-year-old does not know if she received the vaccine or the placebo used for the study. But he said he had side effects after the second dose, so he believes he received the vaccine.
“Like 10 to 12 hours after I had it, I had chills and then I had a fever,” Holland said. “But it wasn’t that bad. It only lasted a couple of days and it was all over.”
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Holland’s father, Thomas, is an infectious disease doctor in Duke.
“I think mRNA vaccines have been shown to be very, very safe in millions and millions of doses in adults,” Dr. Holland. “So I felt really good with the likely safety profile in his age group.”
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“I’m happy to have contributed to all of science and all that, and when I heard about it, I realized it could be risky because we didn’t know much about how it affects children, but I realized that what we need to get to know it is to participate in the trial, ”Sophie Holland said.
As part of the trial, blood is drawn from him in Holland and his nose is moved every few weeks.
“I’m proud of her for all of this and I’ve been with her on every one of the visits and I’ve seen her do these things and that’s part of her contribution to science,” Dr. Holland said.
They are no longer enrolling children in the study.
Duke hopes to participate in the next phase of the study for children under 11. It could start already this spring.
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