I'm in Pfizer's COVID vaccine trial, ask me anything.

[Diomedes]

So, I'm a biologist. Viruses and evolution, specifically. So...this past year has been something else. Never good when so many people are suddenly interested in what I did in grad school.

But to the point, my wife and I are both participants in Pfizer's vaccine trial. We got our first shots in October, and round 2 in early November. It's double blind, so we're not *supposed* to know if we got a placebo or the real deal, but we both had textbook post-vaccination side effects (low-grade fever, aches and soreness) for about a day, so we were confident we got the real thing. We both then got antibody tests to check, and yup, real deal.

So...anybody have any questions? About this vaccine, vaccines in general, the trial, the process, whatever.

[ford]

I've read Covid-19 can mutate. Does that mean we're going to be gunning for a new Covid vaccine every year like we do with the flu?

[Diomedes]

Possibly, yeah. Anything can mutate, and viruses generally mutate faster than other stuff, for reasons that don't matter here. The other side of that is that this isn't a virus that "normally" infects humans, so it could mutate and not infect us anymore. Could go either way.

There are four coronaviruses that cause a cold, and when you get one of those, immunity last 1-3 years. I would guess this would be similar. Could very well end up with an annual combo flu/corona vaccine.

[MAr]

at what point do you believe autism will set in? Why do you smell like mercury now?

Congrats on the vaccine bro. You're part of history. May all of us here today, sneak out of this pandemic alive.

[Diomedes]

Ah, *that's* what that smell is.

Thank's Mar.

[smiffington]

Aside from the aforementioned minor side effects, is there any indication of any further ones? I'm kind of afraid of having to get a vaccine for work, I always have a terrible reaction to flu shots so envision I will with this as well. But I don't think Canada is using phizer's anyway. Also, your box is shipped I just forgot tracking number in my work truck, thanks again!

[Diomedes]

Nothing beyond what we experienced, and that will likely be the case for the vast majority of people. These RNA vaccines elicit a pretty robust response from what I've read, so what we experienced is typical. That's a good thing, really, because the response is due to your immune system ramping up. We were actually both pretty happy - "well, I feel like poop today, but that means I probably got the real vaccine, so yay!"

I've read the others have similar side effects. In general, anything more severe is extremely rare. Like in the order of one-in-a-million to one-in-ten-million.

[Tracker]

pretty cool,

how do they test the efficacy though? do you have people cough on you at specific intervals? or is it just a "did you get sick Y/N?"

cause the social distancing and mask wear and personal diligence is supposed to help, so doesn't that kind of alter the ability to get a "clean" test sample free of outside influences?

[Diomedes]

They said to keep doing whatever you normally do, and the way it works is they document cases of COVID in the trial and placebo groups. If the vaccines was completely ineffective, you'd expect equal numbers. If it was 100% effective, you'd expect every case to be in the placebo group. As it was, I think 151 out of 160 cases in the Pfizer trial were in the placebo group, but don't quote me on those number, I don't think that's exactly correct. Yeah, things like masking reduce the likelihood of infection, which is why you need a TON of people in these trials. I think it's about 30 thousand participants altogether, and that's to get about 160 cases.

[moonweasel]

Is the Govt.tracking chip uncomfortable? or small enough not to notice?


Speaking as someone that has had their 3rd precautionary nose probe today, can't wait for all the vaccines to make it out into the wild.

[Diomedes]

The chip was a little itchy at first, don't even notice it anymore. And idk if the other vaccines do this, but Pfizer's chip has built-in GPS, so that's convenient if you're taking a trip somewhere new.

(Relax everyone, there's no chip.)

[Rickfactor2]

Are you concerned that you may grow a tail?

[Diomedes]

We all already have tails. They're just really short.

[boarder2k7]

If it's prehensile this is a feature I'd pay extra for tbh

[Archdogg]

A prehensile tail would be great for having a pod at the ready during a game.

[un2xs]

Is the Pfizer vaccine similar to the Moderna mRNA spike protein vaccine? Does it appear that this type of approach will continue to provide protection even with mutation in the virus?

Should an "older" person with high cholesterol wait for the Moderna vaccine or take what is offered first? Is there any potential advantage to eventually getting both or would that be a no go?

Under current guidelines how will the roll out proceed? My understanding is that health care workers are on every short list for being first. Next might be the 65+ population.

Do the vaccines stop you from getting the disease or just greatly increase your ability to fight it once exposed?

[Diomedes]

Let's see...

Yes, it's mRNA for the spike protein. Ongoing protection will depend on how drastic any future mutations are, so it's hard to say with any confidence. The trial lasts two years, so presumably they'll be checking for a match between the antibodies and whatever virus is currently circulating two years out.

No idea about which would be better. My understanding is that they all work basically the same way, and 65+ will probably be near the front of the line, but talk to your actual doctor.

I think that's right, healthcare workers (especially those with potenial COVID patients) first, then high risk groups in descending order, starting with 65+.

Vaccines do both. It's all about probabilities. With a vaccine, you're less likely to actually be infected (because you're better able to prevent an *exposure* from becoming an *infection*), and if you are infected, you're more likely to effectively fight it rapidly, reducing the duration and severity.

[THE SHOOTIST]

I heard you could go schitzo from it.

[Diomedes]

Nah, it's really just the mercury and the chip, see the above comments.

(Joking, people.)

[Tarsun2]

how long will your cells continue to produce the "spike protein"?
is there a lifespan based on telomere length?
and will the lab get mad if i store my ice-pops in the vaccine freezers?

[Diomedes]

mRNA typically has a pretty short duration, so you're not actually making the spike proteins for all that long. I don't know exactly how long in this particular case, because there are ways to make mRNA last longer or break down faster, but in general I'd guess we're talking about hours rather than days. But I could be wrong about that. The idea is to make a TON of them in that time, though. No telomeres, because this is just a little piece of RNA - only chromosomes (big pieces of DNA) have telomeres protecting the ends. Though there are similar structures for mRNA, the 5' cap and 3' poly-A tail, that protect it from breaking down like telomeres do for chromosomes.

Def get mad if you put food in the vaccine freezer. And also that would hurt your tongue. A lot.

[Tarsun2]

ha, my original thought was the poly-a tail but it just wasn't clinking in my mind. I always remembered the telomerase as the genetic time keeper of sorts. lol
its been a long time since ive seen this stuff.

i still get a little piece of it working at a hospital in BioMed. Im the guy that has to inventory, install and set up, and maintain the freezers and Cephied analyzer.
i cover the main lab and contracts but my main focus and training is respiratory. Im the guy that fixes the life safety vents and keeps them going. V60's, LTV's, Engstroms Carestation's, and such

[Cyberpyr8]

You're definitely brave, not only for trying the vaccine but doing a AMA here on MCB! The comments didn't disappoint. Thanks for sharing the info. I know a lot of people are curious about it.

[Boddah2]

Just saving this thread


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[foughtwolf]

How long did the erection last?
Havelock heard Bill Gates voice in your head yet?

[Diomedes]

...nope. not touching this one.

[Nish]

Erections, not touching it, sounds like marriage.

[bored383]

just wanted to say thank you for taking one for the big team

[Diomedes]

You're welcome, but this isn't much of one to take. My wife and I actually talked about the risks here, which are pretty tiny, all things considered. We can both do this one little thing to maybe contribute to maybe getting to the end of this, so we did. The logic is that nobody's asking us to storm the beaches or get beat crossing a bridge. All things considered, if this is what young, healthy people of our generation can do, that's not asking much.

[Yellow5]

Can you still carry & transmit the virus even if the vaccine makes you immune to it yourself?

[Diomedes]

Potentially yes! The probability would be lower, but the idea is that even with the vaccine, it's possible that you get an infection that causes no symptoms, but can still be spread. Part of the trial is figuring out whether that's the case, but since we won't really know for some time, that's one of the reasons it's critical for everyone (everyone who doesn't have a health reason preventing vaccination) to get vaccinated - so it's mutually reinforcing and mutually protective.